Dancing Through Life
by animegalnya
Summary: Hinata is new in town. A dancer, she enrolls in a dance studio, but her shyness makes it difficult to make friends. She thought she would have to be new in town alone…but then she met him. AU. NaruHina. SasuSaku. And some ChoIno and ShikaTema. Chapter 29 now up!
1. New Town New School New Life

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. Nor do I own the idea for the title, which is the name of an amazing song from 'Wicked: The Musical.'

Ok, so I want this to be an actual story, but I'm posting just the first chapter to see how it's received before posting more chapters. I love dancing and NaruHina so I decided to put the two together and got this. Go figure. Also, I know in manga they start school in the spring, but so I don't confuse myself they will be starting school in the fall. Sorry. Well, not much left to say but…enjoy!

Summary: Hinata is new in town. A dancer, she enrolls in a dance studio, but her shyness makes it difficult to make friends. She thought she would have to be new in town alone…but then she met him. AU. NaruHina. Some SasuSaku and ShikaTema.

Dancing Through Life

Chapter 1

New Town. New School. New Life.

"Hinata."

A young woman, sixteen years old, stopped putting on her shoes to look over her shoulder. "Yes, father?"

"Have a good day at school. Stay out of trouble. Neji-san will show you around. Be home no later than four o'clock."

Hinata nodded. "Yes, father." She finished putting on her shoes. "Well, I'm off. Have a nice day." She waved to her father before opening the front door to their new house and walking to school.

This is Hyuga Hinata. At the end of summer break, her family had moved to the same town as her relative, Hyuga Neji, due to her dad's job transferring him to a different city. Today is the first day of the new school year and the only person Hinata knows is Neji. How will this go?

Hinata left her house early, plus her new school wasn't far away from her new house, so she decided to walk slowly. She looked at the trees and the buildings, taking in her new surroundings. The only times she had really gone out since she moved there was to go grocery shopping and clothes shopping. She looked down at her new high school uniform. It was simple, nothing too fancy. She sighed, kicking a small rock across the sidewalk. She was so in her own little world, thinking about the move and all, that she didn't pay attention to where she was going and literally bumped into somebody.

"Hey! Watch where you're going, girl! You wanna get hurt?!" a guy, also wearing a school uniform said, looking pissed off. He was with another guy. "We were talking here!"

"I-I'm sorry!" Hinata bowed apologetically.

"Tch. Sorry? That's all? What a weak little-"

"Hey! Leave her alone, losers!"

Hinata stood up and looked over her shoulder to see a boy with spiky blonde hair beind them, wearing the same school uniform as the boys. Who…?

"Hunh. Oh, it's just you, Uzumaki. Why do you care if we pick on her or not, huh?" the other boy asked.

The boy called Uzumaki rolled his eyes and walked up to Hinata, standing in front of her, glaring at the boys. "Just go to school, jerks."

"Tch. Whatever. Let's get out of here." The two boys left.

The blonde boy turned around and smiled at Hinata. "Don't mind them. They're just some of the school's bullies. Hey! That's the girls' uniform for our school! Are you new here?"

Hinata could only nod. Who was this guy?

The boy held out his hand, grinning. "I'm Uzumaki Naruto. Nice to meet you! Uh…" he waited for her name.

Hinata blinked. "Huh? Oh! M-My name is H-Hyuga H-Hinata." Why was she suddenly stuttering so much?

Naruto looked surprised. "Hyuga? Are you related to Hyuga Neji?"

Hinata nodded. "Y-yes. He's my cousin."

Naruto nodded. "Ok. Well, why don't I walk with you? Just in case those bullies come back?"

Hinata smiled a little, shyly, tucking some of her long hair behind her ear. "O-Ok. Arigatiou, Uzumaki-san."

Naruto laughed. "You can just call me Naruto, Hinata-san."

Hinata couldn't help but like how his laugh sounded. "O-ok. N-Naruto-kun. A-and you don't have to say 'san' at the end of my name."

Naruto thought for a second. "Hm…then I'll jut call you Hinata-chan!"

Hinata blushed. Whoever this guy was, he was making her heart beat fast and her face turn pink. She hoped he wouldn't notice.

As they walked to school, talking every now and then about little things like the weather and what Hinata thought of the town, Hinata couldn't help but start to develop a small crush on the boy that had stopped some bullies from picking on her.

Maybe this day would be alright, after all?

Review please!


	2. Friends?

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto nor do I own the name of the title, which is an amazing song from 'Wicked-The Untold Story of the Witches of Oz'. (Seriously, AWESOME musical. …just sayin. Ahem. Anyways.)

Hello there! Welcome back to 'Dancing Through Life'! I got a pretty good reaction to the first chapter, so hopefully this chapter doesn't disappoint, as well. Only a few more characters will be introduced in this chapter-I don't want to just randomly throw them all in here. So, let's get started!

Chapter 2

Friends?

"Hinata."

Hinata and Naruto had reached the school, only to come face to face with the school genius himself-Hyuga Neji.

"Neji-san." Hinata bowed slightly. "Ohayo."

Neji nodded once, his arms crossed over his chest. "Thank you for getting her here safely, Uzumaki. You can go now."

Naruto rolled his eyes. "Geez, you sound like you told me to walk her here. I was just helping her out."

Hinata cleared her throat as the two glared at each other. "W-We should get going. S-See you later, N-Naruto-kun." She walked up to Neji and the two walked through the school's front gates.

"What was that all about, Neji?" Hinata asked, confused.

"Naruto is a joke-the class clown that wants to be class president. Don't hang out with him." Neji stated simply.

Hinata frowned. "But…!"

"No buts. Come on, let's go find out our homeroom numbers." Neji showed Hinata where her homeroom was before walking to his own homeroom. Hinata chose an empty seat in the back of the classroom, not wanting to draw too much attention to herself.

"Hey, are you new here?"

Hinata looked up to see a girl with short pink hair smiling at her. She nodded. "Y-Yes."

The girl laughed. "Don't sound so scared. I don't bite."

"Hard." A girl, with long light blonde hair pulled back into a ponytail, teased from behind the pink haired girl.

She rolled her eyes. "Gee, thanks, Ino."

"Anytime, Sakura-chan." Ino went back to talking to a group of boys and girls.

Sakura sat next to Hinata. "Don't mind her. So when did you get here?"

Hinata wasn't sure why this girl was talking to her, but she preferred it over sitting alone. "A couple weeks ago."

Sakura smiled. "What do you think of Konoha?"

Hinata shrugged. "It's nice. I walk to school so I got to see a lot this morning. It's pretty here."

Sakura nodded. "Yeah. Oh! I almost forgot!" she held out her hand. "I'm Haruno Sakura. Nice to meet you."

Hinata smiled a little, shaking her hand. "I'm Hyuga Hinata."

"Oh, so that's why you were with Neji-san. Are you two related?" Sakura asked.

Hinata nodded. "Neji is my cousin."

Sakura nodded. "I see. Well, that's good you came here knowing somebody."

"Alright, class, get in your seats." A man with a scar across his face said.

"That's Iruka-sensei. I had him for homeroom last year. He's pretty cool." Sakura whispered to Hinata, who nodded in response.

After morning classes, it was time for lunch. Luckily, Sakura had been in all the same classes as Hinata so far, so she had someone to show her around.

"Come on, you can sit with me and my friends." Sakura said, smiling.

Hinata smiled back. "Thank you. You're very kind, Sakura."

Sakura laughed. "Hey, I'd hate being the new kid, too. C'mon." The two walked through the cafeteria to one of the long big tables where a group of kids were already sitting.

Hinata immediately recognized one of them as Uzumaki Naruto.

Naruto didn't notice her because he was eating ramen.

"Naruto-kun, stop stuffing your face for five minutes!" Sakura snapped.

Naruto cringed, wiping his mouth. "Gomen, Sakura-chan." He looked at Hinata and smiled. "Hey! So you met Sakura-chan! What do you think of our school?"

Sakura looked confused. "You two met?"

Naruto nodded. "Yeah, this morning."

Sakura shrugged. "Ok…well, Hinata-chan, this is Inuzuka Kiba, Nara Shikamaru, you met Yamanaka Ino and Naruto-kun, and this is Uchiha Sasuke."

Everybody smiled and waved except Sasuke, who just nodded his head in acknowledgement and continued eating his lunch.

Hinata bowed slightly. "N-Nice to meet you all."

"Hinata-chan just moved here a couple weeks ago. So let's make her feel welcome, yeah?" Sakura smiled at Hinata.

Hinata blinked. "'-chan'?"

Sakura laughed. "Why not? We're friends now, aren't we?"

Hinata smiled and nodded. "Y-Yes! Thank you, Sakura-chan."

They sat down with the others and ate their lunch, all of them asking questions about Hinata and where she used to live. After lunch, Hinata split up from them and found her next class on her own. She recognized Neji and Naruto. She took a deep breath and sighed. What happens when you put those two together in the same room?

Naruto saw her and waved, smiling. "Hey, Hinata-chan! Over here!"

Hinata smiled, blushing a little at the invitation. She sat next to him, feeling Neji's glare drilling a hole into her back. "H-How are you, Naruto-kun?"

Naruto grinned. "Great! I was hoping we'd have a class together!"

"R-Really?" she asked, surprised.

Naruto nodded. "You seem pretty cool. Oh, Kakashi-sensei's here. We'll talk later."

Class started.

They didn't get to talk later because Neji quickly led Hinata out of the classroom and to her last class of the day.

After school, Neji walked Hinata home, since he only lived two blocks away from her. Hinata went to her room and did her homework, thinking about her new friends and the boy she had a crush on. Maybe moving here wasn't going to be so bad after all.

Review please! I promise the chapters will get longer!


	3. Audition

Disclaimer: Again, me claim no ownership to neither the series nor the title name.

Thank you for your reviews! They make me happy! Ok, here's chapter three! Enjoy!

And yes I chose an American song, but I only know anime and video game and Vocaloid music so you'll seen American songs a lot in this fanfic just to make things easier for me. Thank you for your understanding.

Chapter 3

Audition

The next day at lunch, Sakura and Ino were talking about the dance studio they attended weekly. This immediately caught Hinata's attention.

"A dance studio? Here in Konoha?"

Sakura and Ino were surprised at her interest and nodded. "Yeah. We go there twice a week after school." Ino said.

"Do you like to dance, Hinata?" Sakura smiled.

Hinata looked at her food. "Yes. I've taken lessons since I was young. But my father said I have to get good grades on my first report card before he lets me enroll in a studio again."

Sakura frowned. "Well…we can help you study! And hey, it's only the beginning of the school year! You have plenty of time!" she encouraged, smiling.

Hinata smiled back. "Really? Thanks. To be honest, it's kind of always been my dream to be in a professional dance company."

"Us, too!" Ino said, smiling.

"Then it's settled. We'll help Hinata get into our studio. In the meantime until you can enroll, you can hang out at my place on weekends and I can help you keep up with your stretch and technique. Our garage has been converted in a mini-studio for me and my friends." Sakura explained.

Hinata smiled. "Really? Thank you!"

Sakura smiled back. "Anything for a friend."

When progress reports came out in October, Hinata had passed with all A's, thanks to the help of her friends and her cousin. Her father agreed to let her enroll in the dance studio that Sakura and Ino took lessons at.

It was a cool, autumn, Sunday morning when Ino and Sakura picked up Hinata in Sakura's car to go sign her up for classes at the studio.

The studio was big, but not what one would call professional. It had four dance rooms, two dressing rooms with lockers, bathrooms, and a small lobby. It was just a nice place for people to come and dance.

Hinata looked at the list of classes. "…I think I'll start with this class." She pointed at a level two jazz class.

Sakura looked surprised. "Are you sure? You have to audition to get into that class."

Hinata nodded. "I'm sure."

Sakura nodded. "Ok, then. Hey, Kurenai-sensei! You back there?" Sakura shouted over the lobby counter.

"I'm coming, hold your horses!" A woman with black hair walked up to the other side of the counter. She smiled. "Hello. Who's this?"

Hinata bowed slightly. "Pl-pleased to meet you, ma'am. My name is Hyuga Hinata and I am very interested in taking the level two jazz class."

Kurenai looked for some paperwork. "How long have you been dancing, Hyuga-san?"

"Since I was four." Hinata said.

Kurenai raised her eyebrows in surprise. "Really? I've never seen you around before. Do you compete?"

Hinata nodded. "Yes. I just moved here. But my teachers usually put me in the back of pieces so that's probably why you haven't seen me."

"Is there a reason for that?" Kurenai asked.

Hinata shook her head. "No. I was just never as good as the others. B-But my last teacher said I was really good!"

Kurenai smiled. "I'm sure you are, sweetie. Here, fill out this form for the class and I'll get the audition started. I see you brought your dance bag. Smart girl." Kurenai walked away from the counter.

Hinata sat in a chair and filled out the form while Ino and Sakura looked at pictures in a display case filled with medals and a trophy. Once she finished the form, she put it on the counter and walked over to Sakura and Ino. She was surprised to see a picture of Sakura and Ino doing a duet on pointe. "Wow…you two do pointe? I thought you just did jazz."

Sakura smiled. "Nope. We've been on pointe since middle school."

"Yeah. We take classes for it every now and then, but they always ask us to do something for the concert." Ino said, smiling proudly.

"Hyuga-san? Go get ready and meet me in studio three please." Kurenai said. "Sakura-san, Ino-san, show her where the girls' dressing room is and where the studio is, please."

Sakura and Ino nodded. "Yes, Kureni-sensei." They showed Hinata where the dressing room was. Hinata changed into black footless tights, a short lavender see-through wrap-around-skirt, and a black leotard with t-shirt sleeves. She put on her black jazz shoes and put her long hair up in a bun. She looked in the mirror and nodded. "Ok, I'm ready."

Sakura and Ino led her to studio three. They wished her luck ("Break a leg!") and sat at the front of the room. The room had mirrors on all four walls and a recently cleaned, smooth, wooden floor. Kurenai had changed into dance attire, as well, her hair pulled back into a pony-tail.

"Alright, we'll stretch, do some jettes, and a combo. Then I want you to improv to whatever song I choose. Can you follow all of that, Hyuga-san?" Kurenai asked.

Hinata nodded. "Hai."

Kurenai smiled and nodded. "Good. Sakura, Ino, you're in charge of the music."

Sakura and Ino nodded, selecting a CD from the pile by the boom box at random and putting it into the boom box.

Hinata took a deep breath and exhaled before following Kurenai in a quick warm-up. Next, she did jettes across the room, both forward and in second position. (Forgive me if my dance lingo is off, it's been a while.)

After the jazz combo, Kurenai flipped through some CDs and smiled at the song she had chosen. "Ok, we're going to test your lyrical jazz. You have one minute to impress me. Ready?"

Hinata nodded. "Hai."

Kurenai nodded at Ino, who pushed play on the boom box after Kurenai put the CD in it. "Go."

The song was "Vulnerable" by Secondhand Serenade.

Hinata listened to the music and the lyrics, and then…she began to dance.

Outside studio three, which had a window in the middle of the mirrors where you could see outside, Naruto and Sasuke were walking by. "So anyway, I told him to-oi, baka, are you listening?" Sasuke asked.

Naruto wasn't listening. He had looked through the window and saw her. He watched her sway to the music, hold her leg to her head, fall into the splitz, and get back up again, twirling and moving her way around the room. "That's…Hinata-chan…"

Sasuke looked through the window. "So?"

"So? Are you serious?! Look at her! She's fantastic!"

Sasuke smirked. "Ah, does little baka have a crush on the new girl?"

Naruto couldn't help but blush a little. "Y-you're stupid. I'm just saying she's a good dancer. Don't go assuming things like that."

Sasuke chuckled. "C'mon, let's go meet the others at the dojo."

Naruto nodded, but didn't look away from the window. "Yeah, sure…"

Hinata suddenly stopped dancing. He saw the woman, Sakura, and Ino clap, and Hinata beam.

Naruto smiled. Something good happened. "Good job, Hinata-chan." He walked away from the window with Sasuke to the dojo that they trained at.

Back inside the studio, the three girls jumped for joy.

Hinata had made it into the level two jazz class!

* * *

Review please!


	4. A Dance?

Disclaimer: Again, me claim no ownership to neither the series nor the title name.

I'm having so much fun writing this! Ok, now time to focus some more on the boys!

Note: I know nothing about martial arts, so please excuse the lack of martial arts actually in this story. Thank you for your understanding. Also, no clue if Japan has dances like we do in America, but in this story, they do. So deal with it. Sorry. I meant please deal with it. Haha. Any who…Enjoy!

Oh! Also, if you don't like that I kept Naruto's parents alive, let me know and I will change it. I just haven't written anything with them in it and I really wanted to try this out. Thanks!

Chapter 4

A Dance?

Naruto and Sasuke entered the dojo, taking off their shoes and dropping their bags with everybody else's bags.

"Oi! Sensei! We're here!"

"YOU'RE LATE, LITTLE BAKA!" A man with white hair bellowed from another room.

Naruto cringed. "Oops." The two boys entered the room the man had yelled from.

"Not my fault. Baka here had to watch some girl dance though a window." Sasuke jerked his thumb in Naruto's direction.

"HEY!" Naruto glared at his friend. Why they were still friends, he really had no freaking clue. He sighed, bowing with Sasuke. "Gomen nesai, Jiraiya-sensei."

Jiraiya sighed. "Whatever. Go get ready so we can start."

"Hai!" Naruto and Sasuke hurried to get ready. When they got back, they saw their friends waiting for them.

A boy with big eyebrows and black hair smiled at them. "Hello, Naruto! Sasuke!"

Naruto grinned. "Hey, Lee!" he gave the boy a high-five.

Sasuke waved, wanting to start class.

The class consisted of Naruto, Sasuke, Lee, Kiba, Shikamaru, Neji, a boy named Gaara and his brother Kankuro, and three other boys named Shino, Chouji, and Sai.

After class was over for the day, they all went home in their usual groups: Naruto and Sasuke; Lee, Kiba, and Shino; Shikamaru, Chouji, and Sai; Gaara and Kankuro; and Neji by himself.

Sasuke and Naruto were neighbors, so they had been walking home together since they were young. Naruto and Sasuke said goodbye before going their separate ways and into their houses.

Naruto closed the door behind him and kicked off his shoes. "Mom! Dad! I'm home!" he called out into the house.

"We're in the living room!" a female voice shouted back.

Naruto walked into the living room and smiled. "Hey. I've got a ton of homework to do, so if you'll excuse me…" he started to leave.

"Hold it right there, young man." His mom, Kushina, said.

Naruto cringed. Crap. Busted.

"Why did Jiraiya-san call and say you were late to the dojo today?" the fiery red-head stood from the couch, hands on her hips.

Naruto looked to the blonde man on the couch, who simply held his hands up if to say, "You're on your own."

Naruto laughed nervously. "I, uh, helped an old lady cross the street? Heh heh…"

"Naruto…" his mom said in a warning tone.

Naruto sighed. "I got distracted. One of my friends just enrolled at the dance studio and I watched her dance through the window."

"You watched a girl dance through a window?" Kushina raised an eyebrow. "What's her name?"

Naruto put his hands in his pockets. "Her name is Hyuga Hinata, Hyuga Neji's cousin. She's a shy girl, but she's really nice. And a really good dancer."

The blonde man, Naruto's father, Minato, looked over his shoulder and smiled. "Does our little Naruto have a crush on a girl?"

Naruto smacked his forehead. "First Sasuke, now you, too!"

Minato laughing. "I'm messing with you, son."

Kushina sighed. "Go wash up for dinner, please."

Naruto nodded. "Alright." He hurried out of the room to avoid further questioning.

The next day at school, a week before Halloween, orange and black flyers were posted all over school, telling people when the Halloween Dance would be.

Hinata read a poster. "A dance…"

"Did your other school have dances?" Sakura asked.

Hinata nodded. "Yes, but I never had anybody to go with so I never attended one."

Ino smiled. "Well, we're about to change that."

At lunch, Ino made an announcement. "Ok, everybody going to the dance, raise your hand!"

Everybody raised their hand except Hinata and Sasuke. Well, until Naruto made Sasuke raise his hand by holding his arm up. Hinata shyly raised her hand.

Ino smiled. "Awesome. If you're still looking for a costume, the Halloween store next to my family's flower shop is open. I figured we could all head over there and then have a snack at my place. What do you say?"

"Well…my father has extended my curfew…" Hinata said.

"I'm in!" Kiba said.

Shikamaru shrugged. "What a drag…I guess I'll go."

"Sounds fun!" Sakura smiled.

Sasuke sighed. "Looks like I don't have much of a choice."

Naruto grinned. "Let's go as soon as school gets out!"

Hinata smiled. "Alright."

Ino nodded. "Then it's settled. We'll meet outside the school as soon as school gets out and go to the Halloween store."

And that's what they did.

It was the first time Hinata had hung out with all of them outside of school. She was excited. She hadn't dressed up for Halloween since she was a little kid. She didn't even have any idea of what she wanted to be.

When they got to the store, Ino dragged a complaining Sakura to the part of the store with the more, ahem, revealing costumes.

"Keep it school appropriate!" Kiba shouted after them in a teasing voice. Hinata looked at all the costumes, amazed that there were so many to choose from. She found some princess costumes and looked at those. Then she looked at some fairy costumes. She found a really pretty one with a long, flowy, lavender dress that would go to her knees, ripped a bit at the bottom, with little fake flowers dotting it here and there. It came with fake flowers to put in your hair and a pair of lavender and midnight-blue fairy wings. She took it off the hook and went to try it on in a fitting room. It fit perfectly. She smiled and quickly changed back into her regular clothes, putting the costume back in its bag.

Once they had all made their purchases, they went to the apartment above Ino's parents' flower shop and had tea and snacks. They all decided to keep their costumes secret until the dance.

A week flew by, and before they knew it, it was Halloween night. Time for the dance to begin!

Review please!


	5. Will You Dance With Me?

Disclaimer: Again, me claim no ownership to neither the series nor the title name.

Alrightie, time for Chapter 5! This chapter was soooo much fun to write! I miss school dances. Anyway, enjoy!

Chapter 5

Will You Dance With Me?

The music was loud, there were fog machines, and there were strobelights. Hinata was a little overwhelmed, but she took a deep breath and exhaled. It would be fine. She had friends to help her and comfort her now. She looked at Sakura and Ino.

Sakura wore a modified version of a sexy pirate costume so it was a little less revealing.

Ino was wearing a knee-length pink sparkly strapless dress with a tiara and high heeled silver sparkly shoes.

Hinata looked around the room for their other friends, but couldn't make them out in the crowd of dancing teens.

"You made it!" Kiba said behind them.

They turned around to see the other boys smiling at them, minus Sasuke who looked bored with his hands in his pockets.

Kiba was dressed as a ninja. (his Shippuden clothes)

Shikamaru wore a shirt that read "This IS my Halloween costume."

Sasuke wore his normal clothes, having already told them not to expect seeing him in a costume.

And Naruto wore an off-white shirt with loose sleeves, black pants, an orange and black cloak, and a gold crown. A prince.

Hinata blushed, thinking he looked very handsome.

Naruto grinned, pumping his fist in the air. "Alright! Let's dance!"

Naruto, Kiba, Ino, and Sakura all headed to the dance floor, Ino and Sakura dragging a timid Hinata.

Sasuke and Shikamaru just shrugged and walked in opposite diretions, Sasuke to sit in on of the chairs by a table and Shikamaru to get something to eat from the food tables.

Hinata watched her friends dance. They were all really good at it. They'd obviously been to dances before. Sakura held Hinata's hands, trying to get her to dance. "Come on! It's just like jazz! Sway your hips!" she shouted over the music.

Hinata timidly swayed her hips, slowly getting into the rhythm of the music. Sakura let go of her hands as Hinata awkwardly figured out how to dance. When she got the hang of it, she smiled and laughed with her friends. They took a break after a couple songs and got some punch.

Shikamaru was sitting at a table, bored out of his mind. 'Why am I here again?' he yawned.

"Hey, lazy."

Shikamaru looked up and groaned. Why HER of all people? "Hi, Temari-san."

Temari smiled and sat next to him. "Aw, aren't we past this 'san' stuff, lazy?"

Shikamaru rolled his eyes. "What do you want?"

"Like my costume?" she asked.

Shikamaru looked at her witch hat and dress. "Nice. Suits you perfectly."

Temari rolled her eyes. "You're so annoying."

"Well then, here's an idea, leave me alone."

"Aw, c'mon, don't be like that. You know you like me." She teased.

"Like hell I do." Shikamaru grumbled.

While the two of them bickered, Sakura walked over to Sasuke, holding out a cup of punch to him.

Sasuke looked at the cup, then at her. "What's this for?"

Sakura shrugged. "I didn't know if you were thirsty. You haven't budged from this spot since we got here."

Sasuke nodded and accepted the cup of red liquid. "Thanks."

Sakura sat next to him. "Aren't you going to dance?"

Sasuke gave an "Are you serious?" look. "Do I EVER dance?"

Sakura smiled a little. "You're right. Sorry." She took a sip of her punch. "…are we going to talk about what happened over summer break or not?"

Sasuke sighed. "Somebody spiked the punch. We got a little tipsy and kissed. What is there to talk about?"

Sakura frowned. "Well, I just thought, maybe…"

"What? That it meant something?"

Sakura felt tears in her eyes. "You're a real jackass, you know that?"

Sasuke sighed again. "Look. Don't cry, ok? I just…ah, damn it, Haruno. If it makes you happy…" he looked her straight in the eye. "Yeah, it meant something, ok? I'm just not interested in being with anybody right now, ok?"

Sakura smiled a little. "…if you meant that, then I'll leave you alone."

Sasuke nodded. "I mean that."

Sakura nodded. "Ok." She got up and walked outside.

Sasuke sighed. "Damn it." He chugged the punch, threw the cup away, and followed her.

Naruto was talking with Kiba and their classmate, Sai, when he noticed Hinata sitting alone.

A slow song came on.

Kiba suddenly pushed Naruto in her direction. "Go on, prince charming. Make her night." He grinned.

Naruto blushed a little. "What's wrong with all you people? She's just my friend." He grumbled, walking over to her.

Hinata watched couples gather on the dance floor and dance to the slow song. She sighed. "Looks fun."

"It sure does."

She gasped, turning to see Naruto smiling at her, holding his hand out to her. "Will you dance with me?"

Hinata looked at him, then his hand, and then back at him. "I've never slow-danced before."

Naruto grinned. "It's easy. I'll show you."

Hinata smiled shyly, placing her hand in his. "Alright."

Naruto led her to the dance floor. "Ok, put your hands on my shoulders."

Hinata did as she was told. She gasped in surprise when he put his hands on her waist. "N-Naruto-kun!"

Naruto chuckled. This really was her first time slow-dancing. "It's alright. Ok, now just sway to the music and slowly move in a circle…yeah, you've got it!"

Hinata giggled. "This is fun."

Naruto smiled. "So, I've gotta tell you something."

"What's that?" Hinata asked, confused.

"Well…about a week ago, I was walking to the dojo with Sasuke when I saw you dancing through the window. You're really good."

Hinata blushed. "O-oh. Th-Thank you."

Naruto smiled. "You know, you're ok. I kind of like people like you."

Hinata looked at him. What was he saying? "Naruto-kun?"

"Hm?"

She shook her head. "It's nothing. Thank you. This is the best night I've had in a long time." She smiled.

Naruto grinned. "Glad to hear it."

She timidly rested her head against his chest, closing her eyes. 'If I only get this chance once, I'm going to enjoy it to the fullest. I can't deny I have feelings for Naruto-kun, but I can keep them a secret a little while longer.'

Naruto looked down at Hinata, surprised that she had decided to rest her head against his chest. 'Maybe she's gaining more confidence? I don't know, but…for some reason, I want her to be happy. Maybe it's just because we're becoming closer friends. I don't know. But…I won't deny this makes me really…happy, dancing with her.'

The two swayed to the music, even after the slow song was over, oblivious to everyone else around them. After another slow song, they finally realized how long they had been dancing and slowly pulled apart, smiling at each other.

"Thank you for the dance, Miss Fairy." Naruto bowed dramatically.

Hinata giggled and curtsied. "Thank you, Sir Prince."

Naruto grinned. "Heh. Hey, where'd baka and Sakura-chan go?"

"Have you guys heard?! Sasuke and Sakura are in an ambulance! Some guys tried attacking Sakura when she went outside and Sasuke tried to fight them! They're both hurt really bad!" Kiba said after running up to them.

Naruto and Hinata gasped. "We have to get to the hospital! Now!" Naruto said.

Kiba told Shikamaru, who was still bickering with Temari, what had happened.

And so, Kiba, Shikamaru, Naruto, Hinata, and after they told her, Ino, hurried to the hospital down the street from their school.

* * *

Betcha didn't see that comin, huh? I'll have a flashback for what happened in the next chapter. Review please!


	6. Pain

Disclaimer: Again, me claim no ownership to neither the series nor the title name.

Yeah…not really sure what to say about this chapter except that it earns it's 'T' rating. Enjoy?

Chapter 6

Pain

_Flashback:_

Sakura walked out into the cool night air and took a deep breath before exhaling. She kicked a small rock across the ground. "Jerk. Why do I even bother liking him?"

"Hey, sweetie. You're that Haruno girl from our class, right?" A guy asked from a bench, holding a beer bottle in his hand. Two more boys surrounded him, all snickering and looking her up and down.

Sakura turned to leave, but another boy had been behind her, smirking. "Where are you going, sweetie?"

It was then that she noticed that they all held beer bottles. They must have snuck them on campus. And from the look, sound, and smell of them, they were all drunk.

"I have to go back inside, my friends will wonder where I'm at." She said.

"Aw, too bad. We were looking to have a little fun." The guy on the bench snapped his fingers.

The guy behind Sakura roughly grabbed her wrist and pulled her over to the bench. She tried to scream, but they covered her mouth with their hands. She kicked one of them between the legs and he slapped her across the face-hard. She whimpered, tears forming in her eyes. As one of them lifted her skirt, she bit their hands and screamed, "SASUKE-KUN!"

"HEY! WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU GUYS DOING TO HER?!"

They all looked at the owner of the voice that had interrupted them.

If looks could kill, Uchiha Sasuke would have murdered all four guys right then and there. "Let. Her. Go." He growled.

"Or what?" One boy snickered, groping Sakura's chest, who squirmed, trying to break free from their grasp.

Sasuke ran forward, jumping and kicking the one who had touched her chest in the head. "That's what, asshole."

"Get him!" The 'leader' of the group said, snapping his fingers again.

The other two guys charged at Sasuke. Now, if Sasuke wasn't a part of a dojo, then he might have died in this fight-but thankfully he had a really good teacher.

One guy pulled out a knife and stabbed Sasuke in the side. Sasuke shouted in pain. Sakura gasped, kicking and screaming until the 'leader' got sick of it and threw her onto the cement. She was lucky her head didn't split open from the impact.

"Hey! What are you kids doing out here?!" A female chaperone shouted.

The four guys, beaten up but able to move, ran for it, leaving the two to lay on the ground, motionless, until the chaperone screamed and called the ambulance.

Kiba had overheard the chaperone talking to a medic when he had gone outside for air. He then told his friends and they rushed to the hospital.

_End Flashback_

Sakura slowly opened her eyes, waking up to the sound of something beeping. She looked down at her arm to see an IV in her. She groaned, slowly remembering what had happened…her eyes widened. Oh. Shit. She was almost raped by a bunch of drunk guys! And Sasuke…oh, shit, where was he? He got stabbed in the side! Where-?!

"Sa…ku…ra…"

She looked to her right to see Sasuke laying in the hospital bed next to hers, an IV in his arm as well. He was severely wounded, with bandages around his forehead and bandages wrapped all around his chest, mainly in the area where he had been stabbed. His eyes were open a little, just enough that he could see her clearly.

Sakura felt tears in her eyes. "Sasuke-kun…this is all my fault. If I had just stayed inside…!"

"Hey, shut up, ok? I'm fine, see? I'm still breathing and talking. You're pretty beat up, too. You've got bandages around your forehead and scrapes all over your arms and legs." He said.

Sakura looked at her body where the hospital gown wasn't covering her. She frowned, and then she looked at him. "But you got stabbed!"

"And you almost got raped." Sasuke said. He sighed. "Look. We're both really messed up. Let's agree on that, ok?"

Sakura nodded. "Ok."

They sat in silence for a while.

"…thank you. For saving me."

"Tch. I didn't save you." He looked away from her. "…I wasn't strong enough."

Sakura shook her head. "I've never seen you fight. You're very strong. They cheated. They had a knife. I'm sure you could have beaten them."

Sasuke looked back at her. "Sakura?"

She looked at him. "Yes?"

Sasuke sighed. "…when we get out of here, I want to make this up to you. If I hadn't been rude to you, you wouldn't have gone outside, and you wouldn't have almost been…" he shook his head. "The point is, let me take you to dinner or something. Not a date, just dinner between friends."

Sakura smiled a little. "I would like that very much, Sasuke-kun."

It had been painful for the both of them to get beaten up and tossed around, but not nearly as painful as knowing that the whole situation could have been avoided if they had just swallowed their pride and talked about that damn kiss over summer break.

Once they were allowed to, their friends visited them in the hospital room, Ino and Hinata crying and carefully hugging Sakura while the boys just stood quietly by Sasuke, not sure what to say to their friend. Naruto finally said something.

"You did a good job, Sasuke." He said. Kiba nodded in agreement.

Sasuke laughed bitterly. "Sure doesn't feel like it, but thanks. I guess I won't be at the dojo for a little while."

Naruto smiled a little. "Don't worry about it. We already see enough of your stupid face at school."

Sasuke chuckled. "Back at you, baka."

That night, their friends went home while their parents visited them in the hospital. Sakura's parents brought her flowers. Sasuke's brother sat next to his brother's bed and gave a small smile. "You saved this girl's life? I'm proud of you, brother."

Once their families had gone home, Sakura and Sasuke lay there in silence, both looking out the window at the moon and stars in the night sky, wishing for the same thing-for the person beside them to recover as quickly as possible.

* * *

Yeah, kinda short, but I'm hoping the next chapter will be longer. Review please!


	7. Feelings

Disclaimer: Again, me claim no ownership to neither the series nor the title name.

Hello all! Time for Chapter 7 of 'Dancing Through Life'! This chapter gets back into the dancing part of the story a little bit. Enjoy!

Chapter 7

Feelings

Hinata stretched in studio three where her jazz class took place.

"Hey."

Hinata looked up to see the girl Shikamaru had been talking to the previous night. "Hello."

The girl smiled a little. "So, uh, I heard last night when Inuzuka told Nara. How are they?"

Hinata looked confused. "How do you know them?"

The girl shrugged. "We've been in school together since first grade. Haruno and I hang out sometimes after class. I'm Temari, by the way."

Hinata nodded. "I'm Hyuga Hinata. And I'm not really sure how they're doing, I just saw them last night."

Temari nodded. "Oh, ok. Well, do you mind if I visit her?"

Hinata shook her head. "No, I don't mind."

Class started then.

"Ok, class. Today we're focusing on lyrical jazz. I want you all to go through your CDs and in groups pick a song to dance to. Whatever you choreograph, make sure it has FEELING. Alright? Begin." Kurenai instructed.

Hinata paired with Ino and Temai. They went through their CDs until they decided on 'Keep Holding On' by Avril Lavigne. They decided to dedicate their dance to their friends in the hospital, especially their friend who was unable to dance with them at this moment in time.

At the hospital…

Sakura woke up and carefully stretched her arms out. She looked at the bed next to hers. Sasuke was awake, looking at the TV but not really watching it. He sighed.

"When can we leave? I hate sitting here doing nothing."

Sakura frowned. "We're both injured, you more than me. You'll have to be patient."

"Hn." Sasuke looked out the window.

Sakura suddenly got an idea. "Hey, Sasuke-kun?"

"What?"

"Remember when we were little? You, Naruto-kun, and I would pretend we were ninjas?"

"Yeah, what about it?"

"Well, last night, you reminded me of that little boy that would threaten any guy who would step on my sand castles." She smiled sadly. "The three of us used to be so close. Then…we grew up. You and Naruto joined the dojo and Ino and I began dancing. We grew apart."

Sasuke didn't look at her. "…I didn't know you remembered that."

Sakura smiled a little. "Of course I do. I still remember the day the three of us met in pre-school. You and Naruto started fighting over a toy and I stepped in and told you to stop."

"No, you YELLED for us to stop."

"That's because you guys were being so loud that Ino and I couldn't focus on our tea party."

"Boo hoo."

Sakura stuck her tongue out at him. "Hey, to a four year old that's a big deal."

Sasuke sighed. "You can be so annoything."

"And you can be a real asshole."

They looked at each other for a while before Sasuke smirked and Sakura laughed.

"If I had to be stuck in a hospital with anybody, I'm glad it's you, Sasuke-kun." She genuinely smiled for the first time since the dance last night.

"Same here." Sasuke replied simply.

Back at the studio…

The girls had finished the first couple of eight counts of their dance. They presented their piece to the class and earned a round of applause. Their piece was about a girl in a hospital learning to dance again.

After class, the three girls went to the hospital, bought Sakura a gift in the gift shop, and went to floor where she and Sasuke were located.

"Sakura-chan, we've brought you something." Ino said, poking her head into the room.

Sakura smiled. "Come in."

The three girls walked in.

Sakura looked surprised. "Temari-chan?"

Temari smiled a little. "Hey. I heard last night when Inuzuka was talking to Nara. How are you feeling?" she looked at Sasuke. "Both of you, I mean."

Sasuke just shrugged and rolled onto his side so his back was facing them.

Sakura rolled her eyes at him and smiled. "We're doing ok. What's that?"

Hinata held up a pink teddy bear. "Ta-da! For you!" she handed the bear to Sakura.

Sakura smiled, tears in her eyes. "Thank you, guys. Arigatou gozaimasu."

A week later, Sasuke and Sakura were allowed to leave the hospital. That night was their 'not-date'.

And a night neither would ever forget.

* * *

Ok, the next chapter will be longer, I promise! Then it'll focus back on NaruHina, then some ShikaTema, and back to NaruHina. Hopefully I'm not jumping too much all over the place. Review please!


	8. It's Not A Date

Disclaimer: Again, me claim no ownership to neither the series nor the title name.

So, my friend refuses to read this chapter, so I sadly had no previous feedback on neither this chapter nor the last chapter. Which means anything SasuSaku won't have been previously read by anybody except me. So sorry if it sucks, it's my first time writing SasuSaku. So yeah. Anyway…Enjoy!

Also, I forgot to say that they are all Juniors in High School. Sorry about that.

Chapter 8

It's Not a Date

Sakura stood in her room, clothes flung all over the place.

"I thought this wasn't a date." Ino said, laying on Sakura's bed while flipping through a random magazine she had found in her friend's room.

"It's not. Darn it, where are those shoes?!" Sakura flung more clothes out of her closet.

"Um, so why are you making such a big deal out of it?" Hinata asked, confused, also sitting on Sakura's bed.

Sakura had practically demanded that they come over and help her plan an outfit.

Sakura looked at them like they were clueless. "Because I just want to look nice. Is that wrong?"

Hinata and Ino shook their heads. "Nope."

Sakura finally found a nice pink dress with a white ribbon tied around the waist with a pair of nice white flats. She got dressed and walked into her bathroom.

Ino and Hinata followed their friend. Ino brushed Sakura's hair while Hinata painted her nails pink.

"This is oddly nice of Sasuke-kun." Ino said.

Sakura shrugged. "He feels bad about what happened, so he thinks he has to make it up to me."

Hinata frowned. "When can he stop using the crutch to walk with?" (In "Fruits Basket", after SPOILER ALERT Kureno gets stabbed, he uses a crutch for a while. Sorry, back to the story.)

Sakura frowned. "About another week. The wound was pretty deep." She sighed. "Thanks for coming over, guys. I know it's not a date, I keep telling myself that, but I want to make it up to him, too. I want him to have a nice, peaceful night without having to worry about what happened."

Ino smiled. "Aw, you really do have a heart!"

Sakura rolled her eyes. "Gee, thanks."

The three of them laughed.

The doorbell rang.

Sakura felt her stomach do flip-flops as she walked down the stairs, clutching a small pink purse in her hands. 'It's not a date. It's not a date. It's not a date.' She repeated in her mind over and over again.

Hinata and Ino had wished her luck, staying in her room until Sakura and her 'not-date' had left.

Sakura took a deep breath and exhaled before opening the door. She was surprised.

"Yo." Sasuke said. He wore nice jeans, a white dress shirt, and a black jacket with tennis shoes. Under his arm was a single crutch the hospital had given him to help him walk for the next week. She tried not to look at it.

She smiled at him. "Hi."

Sasuke nodded toward his car. "Ready?"

Sakura nodded and closed the door behind her, following him to his car. They got into his car after Sasuke put his crutch in the backseat. "So…where are we going?" she asked, curious. He hadn't told her-he said he was going to surprise her.

"Don't you know how surprises work? Jeez…" Sasuke pulled away from her house and drove into town. They pulled into a small parking lot next to a ramen place that they used to go to with their friends after school in Junior High. They stopped going there because they were all so busy with martial arts and dance. Well, they all knew Naruto still went there with his parents.

"Wow…this takes me back." Sakura said, smiling.

They got out of the car. Sasuke grabbed his crutch and closed his door after her, locking the doors. He walked around the car and walked into Ichiraku Ramen with her.

"Well, well, if it isn't Haruna and Uchiha! It's been a long time! Look how grown up you are!" the owner beamed.

Sakura smiled, bowing slightly. "It's nice to see you again."

Sasuke sat down, leaning his crutch against the counter. The owner didn't ask, not wanting to get into the young Uchiha's business.

Sakura sat next to him. They ordered what they usually ordered in Junior High, eating in silence.

"You two on a date or something?"

"It's not a date." The two said in unison.

The owner shrugged. "Alright, then. Enjoy." He walked to the back to make more ramen.

Sakura glanced at Sasuke out of the corner of her eye. He looked…distant. Like he was thinking about something. She looked back at her food and continued eating.

After they ate dinner, Sasuke paid for their food and they got into his car.

Sakura couldn't help but feel sad. They got to hang out together and they didn't even talk. Then again, she shouldn't have expected to. She was surprised when Sasuke parked in the parking lot of the local park.

Sasuke got out of the car, grabbing his crutch. "Come on."

Sakura got out of the car. They closed and locked the doors before venturing into the park. It was after sunset, so there were only a few couples and some people playing basketball in the park. The park was across the street from a vibrant shopping center, so they knew they didn't have to worry about anybody trying anything, even though it was nighttime, as long as they stayed in the front of the park.

Sasuke sat on a bench in front of the playground, sighing. Sakura, unsure of what to do, took off her shoes at the edge of the sandbox and sat on a swing. She smiled as she remembered something.

_Flashback_

"Sasuke-chan! Lookit my sand castle!" A six year old Sakura beamed, proud of her creation.

A six year old Sasuke looked up from his own sand castle and examined hers. He shrugged. "Enh, it's nice, I guess."

Sakura pouted. "Well, I think YOURS is nice, too."

Sasuke looked at her. "You're weird. And don't call me 'Sasuke-chan.'"

Sakura frowned. "Fine, Sasuke-KUN."

_End Flashback_

Sakura sighed. Why DID she like Sasuke? Sure, he was the hottest guy in school, most of the girls in school seemed to like him, but what was her other reason?

"Hey, look." Sasuke pointed to the sky.

Sakura looked at the sky and gasped. "A shooting star!"

Sasuke chuckled at her excitement. "Make a wish, Sakura-chan."

Sakura looked at him, shocked. Did he just…?

Sasuke closed his eyes, tilting his head back like nothing happened.

Sakura closed her eyes and made a wish.

"What did you wish for?" Sasuke asked after opening his eyes.

Sakura opened her eyes and smiled. "If I tell you, it won't come true. What did YOU wish for?"

Sasuke shrugged. "Who said I made a wish?"

Sakura frowned and sighed. She got off the swing and put her shoes back on after brushing the sand off her feet. She sat next to Sasuke, looking at the stars with him.

"…Sakura?"

Sakura continued to look at the sky. "Hm?"

Something soft suddenly came in contact with her cheek.

Her eyes widened when she realized it was his lips. "S-Sasuke-kun…"

Sasuke stood up, looking away from her. "We should head back. It's late."

Sakura nodded, still in shock. "Uh-huh."

They walked back to his car and got in. Sasuke turned on the heater and drove them back to her house. He pulled up to the curb and turned off the engine. They sat there for a while in silence, looking away from the other person, until…

"You never answered Yamanaka, did you?" Sasuke said.

Sakura looked confused. "Huh?"

"When we were twelve, Yamanaka asked you if you had a crush on me." He looked at her. "I want to know your answer."

Sakura's heart pounded in her chest, her stomach doing flip-flops again. "Wh-Why now?"

Sasuke shrugged. "I'm curious."

Sakura looked at her hands in her lap. "…everybody says I make it too obvious that…that I like you. But I know you don't feel the same way so I keep it bottled up and don't tell-"

"Sakura."

Sakura looked at him. "Huh-? MMF!"

Sasuke had leaned forward and kissed her softly…on her lips.

When they pulled apart, Sasuke smirked at her stunned expression. "This wasn't a date. But next time, it will be." He got out of the car, grabbing his crutch and waiting for her.

She got out of his car, head spinning. Why did he do that? What did he mean by "Next time, it will be?" Had he gone crazy?

Sasuke walked with her to her door. "I'll see you at school tomorrow. For now, let's keep this our little secret, ok? You can tell your friends we had a good time, but keep next time a secret, ok?"

"N-Next time?"

Sasuke chuckled. "I'm asking you out on a date."

Sakura's eyes widened. "S-Sure! I mean, yeah, sure." She tried to look calm.

Sasuke turned his back ot her. "See you later, Sakura-chan." He waved before walking back to his car, putting his crutch in the backseat, getting in his car, and driving back to his house.

Sakura beamed, walked into her house, walked up to her room, and fell onto her bed, a big smile on her face. "That was the best non-date of my life."

Review please!


	9. Rehearsal

Disclaimer: Again, me claim no ownership to neither the series nor the title name.

Ok, I'm super excited for these next two chapters. It's time for Hinata's first onstage performance with her new studio! Who will attend the concert? Let's find out!

Enjoy!

Chapter 9

Rehearsal

Hinata stretched in studio three, wearing her usual dance clothes. Two months had passed and it was now December, almost time for their dance studio's winter dance concert.

Sakura had joined the same group as Temari, Ino, and Hinata once she was able to dance again, taking the place of the girl in the hospital and helping add extra choreography for Ino. Their piece was going to close the first half of the show, so they had been working every chance they got on their piece, along with Hinata and Temari in a group piece, Ino and Sakura's pointe solo, and, as a big surprise revealed a month ago, Hinata's solo. It would be the first time she performed a solo for an audience.

"What if I mess up?" Hinata had worried. "Why did I even get picked for a solo?"

"Because Kurenai-sensei wants you to finish the piece you improvised for your audition when you came to this studio." Sakura had replied.

"We know you can do it!" Ino encouraged her.

Temari had smiled and nodded. "Yeah."

Now, a month later, Hinata had finished choreographing her solo and was ready to perform.

The concert would be held at her school's MPR, so they were all carpooling to get back to school.

"Hinata-chan? Are you warmed up? We're getting ready to drive to school." Temari said.

Hinata nodded and stood up, grabbing her dance bag with her costumes and day clothes. "Yeah, I'm ready."

The four of them piled into Temari's car and drove to their high school. The studio had an age range from seven to eighteen, so the studio had also used a bus to get the kids to the school for those who couldn't drive. When they got to the school, they changed into their first costumes before gathering in the MPR.

As rehearsal started, Sakura got a text from somebody. She quickly looked at her phone, having to wait about another twenty minutes before rehearsing.

It was Sasuke.

Sasuke: Hey. How's rehearsal going?

Sakura smiled. Ever since they secretly became boyfriend and girlfriend a month ago, they text constantly. She replied quickly.

Sakura: We just started. I'll call you when I get home.

Sasuke: Ok. Break a leg.

Sakura: Thanks.

She put away her phone, happy.

Her friends looked confused at her sudden happiness, but shrugged and decided that she would tell them when she was ready to tell them.

Sakura and Ino put on their pointe shoes, doing a couple stretches before going onstage.

Hinata had seen them practice in Sakura's garage, but she hadn't seen them in costume onstage. It was amazing. They danced in perfect unison when needed, and had perfect lines and positions.

Everybody clapped when they finished. Ino and Sakura then quickly changed into their next costume. Two pieces later, it was time for the four of them to perform their piece.

It started with Sakura laying on a small cot-a 'hospital bed.' Throughout the piece, her friends helped her stand, then walk, and finally, dance. It was a beautiful piece with a strong message about friendship and helping people achieve their dreams.

After other solos, duets, and group pieces, it was Hinata's turn to rehearse her solo. She took a deep breath, exhaled, closed her eyes, and then opened her eyes. She got into her starting position and waited for the music to start. As she danced, she focused on every movement, every note, every sound, but made sure to relax and have fun with it at the same time. When she finished, everyone applauded. Her confidence got a major boost. She could do this. She had friends on her side that would support her and encourage her.

Now she just hoped that a certain somebody would attend the concert.

At Naruto's house…

Naruto smiled at the rectangular piece of paper in his hand. 'I hope everything's going well at rehearsal.'

Somebody knocked on his door. "Naruto? Can I come in?" It was Minato.

Naruto hid the ticket. "Yeah."

Minato entered his son's room, smiling. "Hey, son. How was school?"

Naruto shrugged. "Ok, I guess. Sasuke's been acting weird. Well, weirder than usual. He's always texting somebody and we don't really hang out outside of school and the dojo anymore."

"Sounds like he has a girlfriend." Minato said, sitting on Naruto's bed.

Naruto blinked then laughed. "Good one, dad. So what's up?"

"This concert that you're going to…do you think you could get a ticket for your mother and I? We haven't seen your friends dance in a while."

Naruto shrugged. "Sure. I'll ask Sakura-chan tomorrow. Anything else?"

Minato smiled. "No, that's all." He stood to leave. "Good luck training for the next competition. Master Jiraiya says you're doing very well. I'm proud of you."

Naruto grinned. "Thanks, dad."

His dad smiled and nodded before leaving the room.

Naruto sighed and looked at the ticket. "Just a couple more days."

Review please! I apologize for the shortness, the next chapter will be longer, I promise.


	10. Concert Time!

Disclaimer: Again, me claim no ownership to neither the series nor the title name. Also, I don't own Tokyo Mew Mew.

Time for what will probably be one of my favorite chapters of this story! Yeah!

Ryou: How much candy have you eaten in the last twenty-four hours?

Me: I can quit anytime I want! Go back to Tokyo Mew Mew, Ryou! No candy for you! ((eats candy)) Sorry for the interruption, that was mainly for one of my friends. Hi! ((waves))

Ryou: You're an idiot.

Me: And you're a meanie, so go flirt with Lettuce or something. Anywho, enjoy the chapter! ((continues to push Ryou out of the chapter))

Chapter 10

Concert Time!

Hinata sat with Temari in a classroom where their dance class was waiting by the MPR. Temari helped Hinata with her makeup.

"Temari-chan?"

"Hm?"

"Do you think a lot of people will be here tonight?"

Temari smiled and nodded. "Yup. My brothers are even coming tonight. Kankuro and I are trying to drag Gaara out of the house more often."

Hinata thought about their other friends. "What about the others? Shikamaru-kun and Kiba-kun?"

Temari laughed. "Kiba wouldn't miss a bunch of dancing girls for the world, but the only time I saw Nara ever come to a show was when I was seven. Too many girls were crowding him so he vowed to never come to another show again." She smiled sadly. "Which kinda sucks, when you think about it."

Hinata smiled. "Because you like him, right?"

Temari blinked, a small blush on her cheeks. "Wh-What? Where did you get THAT idea? Have all the hairspray fumes gone to your head?"

Hinata giggled. "Actually, Sakura-chan and Ino-chan told me you and Shikamaru-kun have been hanging out together a lot more often this year."

Temari brushed Hinata's long hair before putting it up in a ponytail for their first group piece. "So? We're lab partners in Chemistry. I have to hang out with him."

"Then why were you two at the ramen place yesterday?" Hinata asked curiously.

Temari opened her mouth to say something, and then closed it. "…we're just friends. Lazy already told me a long time ago he's more interested in martial arts and school than girls." She smiled sadly. "Now…the best I can do is make sure the idiot doesn't do something stupid."

Hinata frowned. "You know…maybe you should tell him."

Temari suddenly smirked. "Alright, but first you have to tell Uzumaki how YOU feel about HIM, deal?"

Hinata blushed. "Wh-wh-what?!"

Temari laughed. "It's sooo obvious, Hinata-chan." She patted her friend's shoulder. "Don't worry about tonight, you'll do fine."

Kurenai clapped her hands to get their attention. "Ok, class. The first piece just went onstage, so keep your voices down and keep warming up and getting ready. Break a leg." She left the room.

Hinata took a deep breath and exhaled. 'Here we go.'

After her first group piece, Hinata hurried and changed into her costume for her piece with Sakura and the others. She put her hair into a half-up half-down style and warmed up a little more.

Before they went onstage, the four of them held hands, telling each other to break a leg.

After that piece, Hinata changed into her costume for the third number she was in. This time her hair was in a bun and she had some sparkles on her cheeks. As soon as that piece was over, she nervously got ready for her solo. For this piece, her long hair was completely down and she removed the glitter and red lipstick from her face. She touched up her cover-up, blush, eyeliner, and mascara, adding some light pink lipstick with a little lipgloss. Her costume was simple: a lavender dress with spaghetti-straps that fanned out around her when she spun around and went to her knees. She wore nude colored 'bear paws' (that's what my friends and I call them, but they're also called FootUndeez, add that to the Disclaimer) and had a light blue sash tied around her waist.

"Hyuga-san? It's time." Kurenai smiled from the doorway. She was going to remind Hinata that she was the last performance of the night, but didn't want to put any more pressure on her.

Hinata hugged her friends before following Kurenai to the wings of the stage. As soon as the lights went down on the second to last piece, Hinata quickly walked onstage and got into her starting position.

The lights came up, the music started…

…and she began to dance.

She kept her eyes open, never once looking at the floor, and if she faced the audience, she would look out above their heads, scared of who she might know was watching her. She didn't want to mess up, but she didn't think about that, focusing only on the beat of the music and the feelings for a certain someone that she poured into her solo.

When she finished, she froze in her pose as the lights went down, the audience cheering and clapping and applauding loudly and enthusiastically.

Hinata smiled as she walked to the back of the line for bows-Kurenai had ordered bows to go from first piece to last piece. If you were in more than one piece, you picked one piece you really like to bow with. If you were in a solo, you bowed alone. Hinata was last to bow before they all bowed together, so she got nervous all over again.

When it was finally her turn to bow, she walked onstage, smiling, stood center stage, and bowed. She looked out at the audience for the first time that night.

"ALRIGHT, HINATA-CHAN! WAY TO GO!" A very familiar voice shouted.

There, in the center of the first row, was Uzumaki Naruto, his usual big, goofy grin on his face.

She blushed, but kept smiling. She backed up to stand in line with the others, holding their hands. They raised their hands, bowed, raised their hands again, and bowed again. They dropped their hands and clapped for each other as the curtain closed, the younger kids jumping up and down and waving until the curtain closed.

As soon as the curtain closed, Hinata hurried back to her dance bag, gathering her makeup and hair supplies into her bag, along with her other costumes and dance shoes. She wanted to see him. She wanted to know what he thought. She wanted…

"_Alright, but first you have to tell Uzumaki how YOU feel about HIM, deal?"_

Hinata sighed. There's no way she could do it. She left the classroom after seeing that her friends weren't there-they probably decided to go greet people before gathering their things. She walked outside into the cool night air, wrapping her coat tightly around her body.

"Hey! Hinata-chan!"

She turned around to see Naruto with two adults. She smiled a little. "He-hello, N-Naruto-kun."

Naruto grinned. "That was amazing! That solo was from that time I saw you dancing, right?"

Hinata nodded. He remembered?

"Oh, right, Hinata-chan, this is my father, Minato, and my mother, Kushina." Naruto introduced his parents.

Naruto's parents and Hinata bowed slightly to each other. "Pleased to meet you."

"We'll meet you at the car, Naruto." Kushina smiled as her husband wrapped his arm around her waist. The two walked back to where they had parked, leaving the two teens alone to talk.

Naruto suddenly pulled something out from behind his back-a single red rose.

Hinata gasped. "N-Naruto-kun…"

Naruto scratched the back of his neck. "Yeah…I, uh, wanted to get you something-to congratulate you on your performance. So…here." He handed her the flower.

She smiled shyly and accepted it.

There was a short awkward silence between the two.

"…would you…like to get ice cream tomorrow after school?" Naruto asked. "Like…a date?"

Hinata blushed. A date…with Naruto… She swooned, and then…she fainted.

When she woke up, she was in somebody's arms, being carried somewhere. She looked up to see Naruto carrying her, her dance bag slung over his shoulder. She blushed when she remembered what happened.

Naruto looked at her and sighed in relief. "Thank goodness, you're awake. You had me really worried there. Did you get dizzy?"

Hinata looked away from him. "S-something like that."

Naruto carefully placed her on her feet. "Do you need a ride home? It's not safe for you to walk home alone at night."

Hinata smiled. "I-I'd appreciate that."

When they got to her house, Naruto walked her to the door. "Well…good night, Hinata-chan."

Hinata nodded. "G-Good night, N-Naruto-kun."

And then he did something that threw her completely off-guard-he kissed her cheek, leaving without a word.

She walked into her house in a daze, walked upstairs to her room, sat on her bed, smiled, and sighed, holding the rose he had given her to her heart.

Best. Night. Ever.

Review please!


	11. Ice Cream

Disclaimer: Again, me claim no ownership to neither the series nor the title name. Also, if any of these ideas are remotely close to things from the AMAZING doujinshi Konoha High School, I swear I'm not doing it intentionally. Thank you for understanding.

Me: ((munches on candy)) Oh, hello. ((puts candy away)) Welcome to Chapter Eleven of 'Dancing Through Life!' Yeah! Ok, so it's finally time! Time for Naruto and Hinata's first date together! I hope it meets your expectations! Enjoy!

Chapter 11

Ice Cream

The next day at school, Hinata and Naruto would glance and smile at each other every now and then. In their class after lunch, Naruto passed her a note.

Hinata opened it, curious.

Naruto: Is after school ok for our date?

Hinata smiled, quickly writing a response and passing it back.

Hinata: Of course.

This caused Neji to write a note of his own and pass it to her.

Neji: What the hell is going on between you two? You know our parents don't like his parents.

Hinata sighed and wrote a quick response, passing it back to him.

Hinata: I met his parents. They're nice. Naruto-kun and I are hanging out after school. Please let me do this, Neji.

Neji read the note and sighed. What was he supposed to say to that? He didn't want to be an ass to his cousin, but Naruto got on his nerves. What was he supposed to do? Tell her no? It wasn't his place.

Hinata opened the note that Naruto had passed back to her.

Naruto: I'll meet you at you locker after school.

Hinata looked at him and nodded, smiling shyly. He smiled back at her.

After school, Naruto met Hinata at her locker just as he said he would.

Naruto smiled at her. "Ready to go?"

Hinata nodded. "H-Hai."

They left the school, an awkward silence between them.

"So…is this your first date?"

Hinata looked at him out of the corner of her eye and nodded. "H-Hai. A-And you, N-Naruto-kun?"

Naruto laughed nervously, scratching the back of his neck. "Yeah…it is, actually. To be honest, I've never really met anybody that I've wanted to go on a date with. I had a crush on Sakura-chan for a while in middle school. But then I found out she liked Sasuke, and I decided to drop it. And then…I met you." He looked at her.

Hinata blushed. What was he saying? Wait, what was he doing? She gasped when he gently took hold of her hand.

"…I like you, Hinata-chan." He stated honestly.

Hinata blushed more. "N-Naruto-kun…I…" she took a deep breath, closing her eyes. "I like you, too." She said quickly.

Naruto blinked, then laughed. "You're so cute!" he hugged her as they walked.

Hinata, if possible, blushed more.

They got to the ice cream place. Naruto ordered chocolate and Hinata ordered vanilla. She tried to pay for it, but Naruto shook his head and said, "This is a date. I'm paying."

She smiled and thanked him.

They walked to the park across the street and sat on a bench, eating their ice cream.

"N-Naruto-kun? M-may I ask…why you and Neji-san don't get along?" Hinata asked hesitantly.

Naruto took a deep breath and sighed. "…it started…when we were very young. Our parents work for rival companies, so Hyuga was raised to believe that I was basically a terrible person because of my parents. In middle school, we both ran for class president-Neji won. We've been rivals ever since. Next near we'll be seniors, and we've already announced that, at the end of the school year, we'll both be running for student council president."

Hinata frowned. "Oh." She looked at her ice cream. "Well…I-I'll support you, Naruto-kun. Y-You get a bad rep because of your rivalry with Neji, but you have amazing friends, and you're a very kind person. A-Any girl should be l-lucky to be with y-you."

Naruto looked at her. "You really think so?"

Hinata looked at him and nodded.

Naruto smiled. "Thank you, Hinata-chan."

They continued to eat their ice cream, after they finished eating the cones, Naruto looked at Hinata and chuckled. "You have vanilla ice cream at the corner of your mouth."

Hinata was about to wipe it away, but Naruto reached out and gently took hold of her hand. She looked at him, confused. "N-Naruto-kun?"

Naruto smiled softly, leaning forward…until their lips met in a soft, sweet, gentle kiss.

Her eyes widened as his tongue moved to lick away the small bit of ice cream at the corner of her mouth. He then moved back to her lips and continued to kiss her. She slowly closed her eyes and returned the kiss shyly.

Naruto pulled back a little, leaving a small space between their lips.

"Naruto-kun…" Hinata said, eyes half open.

Naruto smiled. "You didn't stutter that time."

Hinata smiled, too, giggling. "You're right, I didn't."

Naruto scooted closer to her on the bench and wrapped his arms around her, holding her close in a hug.

Hinata rested her head against his shoulder as Naruto held one of her hands, lacing their fingers together.

They stayed there until the sunset. Naruto called his parents later when it got dark and they picked them up.

Kushina beamed when she saw them holding hands and Minato ruffled his son's hair, both of them congratulating the two teens. When they dropped Hinata off at her house, his parents looked away while he gave his new girlfriend a good night kiss. Once Hinata was in her room, she sat on her bed and smiled, letting out a small sqeal and laying on her bed, hugging a pillow.

Uzumaki Naruto was now her boyfriend!

* * *

Review please!


	12. Stubborn

Disclaimer: Again, me claim no ownership to neither the series nor the title name.

Yeah! ShikaTema time! Not much else to say but, enjoy!

Chapter 12

Stubborn

Temari sighed, poking her rice with her chopsticks at lunch. It had been two days since the concert, and she and Shikamaru hadn't spoken since. Why? Well…

_Flashback_

"Yo."

Temari knew that voice. She turned around to see the school's laziest person himself-Nara Shikamaru.

"Lazy? What are you doing here?" she asked, confused. "I thought you said-"

"Yeah, yeah, I know. But, you know, Hyuga's first show here and all…I thought I'd come and support you girls." He said, looking away from her.

Temari was still in shock. He actually came to the show.

Shikamaru yawned. "Great show, by the way. Your duet with Haruno was great."

"Thanks." Temari said.

Shikamaru looked around at all the people congratulating dancers. "Do you want to go talk somewhere more quiet?"

"Um, sure…Come with me, I have to get my stuff from the classroom anyway." She said.

The two walked away from the crowd and Temari gathered her things.

"So, uh, what are you doing tomorrow?" Shikamaru asked.

Temari had remembered what Hinata had told her. Should she tell him? She sighed. "Look, what is this we've been doing?"

Shikamaru looked confused. "What do you mean?"

Temari looked at him. "We've been hanging out a lot lately, and I was wondering if…"

Shikamaru sighed. "Hey…I know where this is going, but…we can't."

Temari was shocked. "What? Why not?"

Shikamaru looked away from her. "It wouldn't work. We're both too stubborn, we rarely agree on things, and I have to focus on the tournament coming up."

Temari threw her hands in the air, exasperated. "Fine! It's not like I'm not busy, too, you know! I'm sorry I'd be such an inconvenience!" she stormed off.

_End Flashback_

They hadn't talked since.

That day, after school, Temari started walking off campus when somebody grabbed her arm, but not roughly. "Come with me."

Temari was about to slug the person, but then she realized it was Shikamaru…and she still wanted to slug him. When she tried to, he caught her fist in his hand and pulled her off campus.

"Let me go, you asshole!"

"Stop cursing, haven't you been told it's unladylike?" he said.

Temari glared. "Oh, shut it. Where are you kidnapping me to?"

"I want to show you something at my house." He said. When they got to his house, his parents weren't home. He dragged her down the hall to his room and only then did he finally let her go. At this point, she was too curious to run away.

"Ok, Nara, why did you bring me here?" she asked, crossing her arms over her chest.

Shikamaru dug through the mess that was his room until he found what he was looking for in a drawer.

Now Temari was just plain annoyed. "Paper? You dragged me all the way over here JUST to show me a piece of paper?"

Shikamaru shook his head. "Not JUST any old piece of paper. It's something I kept and didn't find until this morning when I was looking through old school memory boxes."

"Why were you doing that?"

"Because I remembered this." He held up the piece of paper. It was a drawing…done by a five year old…a five year old Temari.

Temari gasped. "Valentine's day…kindergarten…"

Shikamaru nodded. "Do you remember that day? You made me this valentine and wouldn't leave me alone until I accepted it."

Temari nodded. "I remember. You were stubborn back then, too."

Shikamaru rolled his eyes. "Anyway, my point is, I've doing a lot of thinking these past two days, and I remembered something about that day."

"And what might that be?"

"…you're the only girl besides family that's told me you loved me."

Temari's eyes widened, blushing. "W-We were five! It was puppy love!" she quickly covered her mouth with her hands.

Shikamaru took a step closer to her. "Temari."

Her eyes widened. He hadn't called her Temari since middle when he started just calling her 'woman' or 'girl' or 'scary lady.'

"I'm…sorry. Ok? I don't…ah, damn it!" he suddenly closed the distance between them…and kissed her.

"MMF!" Temari froze. Holy crap. Nara Shikamaru was kissing her. HER! She struggled to pull away, but he wouldn't have any of that, wrapping his arms around her waist and pulling her closer to him. She finally stopped resisting and kissed him back.

When he pulled away from her, he put the paper in her hand. "If you don't want to be with me, then keep this."

Temari felt a mixture of anger and happiness in her heart. She looked at the paper, a heart drawn by a child with 'T+S' in it. She sighed…and handed him the paper.

They looked at each other, smiled, and hugged.

That day, two stubborn idiots fell in love.

Aw…my first ShikaTema! Very nervous about this, hopefully they weren't too OOC. Feedback is appreciated! Review please!


	13. First

Disclaimer: Don't own it. Plain and simple.

NOTE: HIGH 'T' RATING!

I wanted to write Sasuke's reaction to Sakura's performance, and somehow got this. Enjoy!

Chapter 13

First

_Flashback_

"Sakura."

Sakura turned around and smiled at her secret boyfriend. "Sasuke-kun!" She ran up to him. "I thought you went to see your family off at the airport for their vacation?"

Sasuke shrugged, hands in his pockets. "They told me I could come here instead."

Sakura wanted to hold his hand, but there were too many witnesses.

"I have the house to myself for a couple days. Do you want to hang out tonight? I'll drive you home whenever you want me to." He said quietly.

Sakura nodded. "Sure. Let me go get my things." She hurried to the classroom and told Ino to play along and say that she spent the night at her place and that she would be there in the morning.

Ino looked suspicious. "And why is that?"

Sakura just pressed her index finger to her lips, winking. "I'll tell you later-someday." With that, she hurried outside the school to see Sasuke parked a little ways down. She made sure nobody else was looking before quickly getting into his car. They pulled away from the curb and drove back to his house. When they got there, Sakura carried her dance bag into the house as Sasuke dropped his keys on the kitchen counter. He faced her.

"You were great tonight, Sakura." He said.

Sakura blushed a little. "Thank you, Sasuke-kun."

Sasuke sat on the couch in the living room and sighed, closing his eyes and tilting his head back.

Sakura awkwardly sat next to him. "This is a nice house. I haven't been here since we were little."

Sasuke opened his eyes and looked at her, wrapping his arm around her shoulders. "Sakura."

Sakura stared into his eyes. "Yes?"

Sasuke leaned forward and kissed her softly. She kissed back, wrapping her arms loosely around his neck. Eventually, Sasuke carefully laid her on her back, still kissing her, the kiss getting more heated. Sasuke's hand wandered up under her shirt and to her bra-covered chest. Only then did Sakura pull back, surprised.

Sasuke looked away from her. "Sorry."

"N-No, it's ok, you just…you surprised me is all." She said quietly. There was an awkward silence between them until Sakura gained the courage to speak. "…is that something you want? To go further?"

Sasuke looked at her. "I'm not going to be one of those douche bag boyfriends that pressures their girlfriend into things."

Sakura smiled a little. "And I thank you for that." She sat up, fixing her shirt. She leaned against his shoulder, closing her eyes. "…if you want that…then tell me."

Sasuke was surprised, but nodded. "Alright." He kissed her cheek, his lips moving to her ear. "I want that, Sakura-from you." His lips slid down to her neck.

She closed her eyes and sighed. She knew he knew what he did to her. "I hate you."

Sasuke chuckled. "Sure you do."

Sakura opened her eyes half-way. "…I want that, too."

They looked at each other and kissed again. Before they knew it, they were stumbling to Sasuke's bedroom, clothes being discarded along the way. When they fell back onto his bed, Sakura gently pressed her hand against his chest. "…this is my first time, Sasuke-kun."

Sasuke held her hands, kissing them. "Mine, too. Sakura…I love you."

Sakura felt tears in her eyes. That was the first time that he had said it. "I love you, too, Sasuke."

They kissed, tangling themselves in the sheets.

It was truly a night to remember.

Sakura opened her eyes to see that the alarm clock next to the bed read three o'clock A.M. She rolled onto her other side to face her lover's chest. She smiled as she remembered what had happened about five hours ago. She sat up and stretched her arms over her head, yawning. She had to get to Ino's soon so she could sleep a bit longer and get ready for school. A pair of arms suddenly pulled her back down onto the bed.

Sasuke tucked her head under his chin. "You're not going anywhere just yet."

Sakura smiled and giggled. "Who's going to stop me?"

Sasuke rolled them so he was hovering over her. "Very funny. You know damn well who."

Sakura reached up and ran her fingers through his messy dark locks. "You were amazing, Sasuke."

Sasuke chuckled. "You weren't so bad, either." He frowned. "How are you feeling? That was your first time, after all."

Sakura shook her head. "I feel better now. Although I'm curious, why did you have condoms?"

Sasuke rolled his eyes. "My brother. Before he left he gave them to me as a joke in case you came over. He assumed we would…but I wasn't planning on it until you said you wanted the same thing."

"Ok…wait, he knew about us?" she asked, worried.

Sasuke sighed. "Yeah, I've been meaning to tell you. He swiped my phone and figured it out from all the hearts you text me."

Sakura blushed. "Oops."

Sasuke chuckled, ruffling her hair. "Don't worry-he won't tell anybody. I know plenty of his secrets to use as blackmail."

Sakura leaned against his shoulder. "I should really get to Ino-chan's before anybody gets suspicious."

Sasuke sighed. "Alright, alright." He looked at her. We don't have class after school tomorrow-come hang out here, ok?"

Sakura smiled and nodded. "Ok."

They got dressed before driving to Ino's house.

_End Flashback_

Sakura sat in her last class of the day, zoning out. When the bell rang, she smiled. As she walked out of class, she saw Naruto and Hinata holding hands. The two had made the announcement that they were together that day at lunch. She was happy for them. She wondered when she and Sasuke would announce their relationship, too.

She left school after saying goodbye to her friends and saying she was heading home. She walked around the corner to find Sasuke leaning against his car. He gave her his signature smirk.

"Hey, sexy."

Sakura froze in her tracks, eyes wide, blushing.

Sasuke let out a rare laugh. "I knew that would get to you. C'mon." he opened the passenger side door for her. "We'll pick up dinner and go watch a movie at my place before taking you to Yamanaka's house."

Sakura nodded, still blushing. "O-ok." She got in his car.

Sasuke chuckled, closing the car door and walking around to the driver's side of the car.

They picked up some sushi to go and brought it back to his place. They sat on his living room floor by the low table and started eating after Sasuke turned on some movie about ninjas.

After Sasuke finished eating, he placed his hand on Sakura's leg, fighting back a smirk as she looked at him, surprised. He kept his eyes focused on the T.V., although he wasn't really paying attention to the movie.

Sakura continued to eat her food, trying to stay calm as Sasuke's hand traveled up her leg and under her uniform skirt. She finished eating, setting her chopsticks down, looking at the T.V.

"Sa-ku-ra…" Sasuke murmured in her ear, his lips brushing against her ear as he spoke.

Sakura blushed. "Wh-What is it?"

"Aren't you cold? Maybe we should go somewhere warmer." His lips moved down to her neck.

Sakura gulped. "Wh-Where might that b-? EEK!" she squeaked as Sasuke suddenly picked her up, throwing her over his shoulder. She looked at his butt and blinked. She blushed. "Sasuke! Put me down!"

Sasuke carried her to his room and only then did he drop her on his bed.

She pouted. "You don't play fair."

Sasuke chuckled and leaned forward, kissing her pouting lips. "Never said I did, Sakura-chan."

And with that, the two lovers fell onto the bed in a tangle of sheets and limbs, expressing their love for one another without having to say a single word.

* * *

Um, yeah, I'm still blushing after writing this. Review please! Next chapter will go back to NaruHina!


	14. Beauty

Disclaimer: Nope. Still don't own it. I also don't own "Broken" by Lifehouse.

Soooooo excited for this chapter! Enjoy!

Chapter 14

Beauty

Naruto and Hinata walked hand in hand to Naruto's house after school. They had been dating for almost two months now, and had grown closer. While they were still shy in the…physical department, they weren't afraid to kiss each other quickly in public and hold hands in front of others. Things were going great for the two teens.

Naruto kissed Hinata's cheek. "My mom is making dinner tonight. Do you want to stay for dinner?"

Hinata smiled. "I'd love to." She frowned. "But you know my father…my curfew is six o'clock p.m now because of our tests-he wants me to have plenty of time to study. In addition to that, he still doesn't approve of us…It's taken this long to convince Neji-san to leave us alone."

Naruto nodded. "True…well, we can still hang out for a while before my parents and I drive you home."

Hinata smiled. "Ok."

When they got to Naruto's house, Kushina welcomed them each with a hug. Over the past two months, she had come to think of the young Hyuga as a daughter-like figure. "I'm meeting your father at the airport for our trip. There's dinner in the fridge. We'll see you two in a week!" she waved before heading out the door.

Naruto and Hinata blinked. It was the first time the two were actually completely alone together. They looked at each other and blushed, quickly looking in opposite directions.

"W-Where are they going?" Hinata asked, trying to start a conversation.

"I dunno. Probably Suna. They've been talking about taking a vacation for a while now."

"Oh."

Silence.

"So, um, now what?" Hinata asked.

Naruto shrugged. "Weren't you saying earlier you were starting a new dance? Can I see it?"

Hinata smiled. "Sure." She pulled a CD out of her bag and handed it to him. She had worn leggings and a skirt to school that day, so she didn't need to change. They pushed the couch and coffee table away from the middle of the living room so she had space.

Naruto put the CD in and hit play, plopping on the couch.

Hinata got in an opening position and began dancing to "Broken" by Lifehouse.

Naruto watched in awe as she twirled and swayed moved around the room. When she was done, she ended in the splitz, leaning forward so it looked like she was laying on her leg with her hands on her pointed toes, the song only half-way over.

Naruto grinned and clapped.

She stood, smiling shyly, tucking a lock of hair behind her ear. "That's all I have so far."

Naruto stood and got her CD from the player, handing it to her. "That was amazing, Hinata! You're really good."

"Th-thanks, Naruto-kun." She blushed from the compliment.

They looked into each others eyes' for a while before leaning forward and pressing their lips together in a sweet, gentle kiss. Naruto wrapped his arms around her waist, pressing his hand against the small of her back.

"Mm." Hinata wrapped her arms around his neck.

They pulled apart for air, just staring at each other.

Hinata broke the silence with a giggle.

Naruto looked confused. "What?"

She smiled at him. "It's just…When I moved here, my plan was to lay low and keep my head down…and then I met you, Naruto-kun."

Naruto cupped her right cheek in his right hand. "…you're beautiful."

Hinata's eyes widened. "Wh-what? M-Me? N-no, that's not…"

Naruto shook his head. "I mean it. You're beautiful, Hinata-chan."

Hinata smiled. "Thank you, Naruto-kun." She hugged him.

Naruto hugged her back.

They ate the dinner Kushina had left them in the fridge.

"Have you been home alone for a week before?" Hinata asked.

Naruto nodded. "She didn't say, but I guess they left early for their anniversary." He smiled. "They're so in love, it's like watching a pair of teenagers."

Hinata giggled. "That's true."

Naruto chuckled. "Maybe we'll be like that someday."

Hinata blushed, their eyes meeting in an intense stare. "…when you called me beautiful…people don't usually call me that."

Naruto shrugged. "People have different opinions on beauty and handsomeness." He poked at his food. "You called me attractive the other day-I can't remember the last person who called me that besides my mom trying to boost my confidence."

Hinata frowned. "I guess people do have different views."

Naruto suddenly stood up. "Let's go somewhere. This weekend. We'll get the gang together. We can go to an amusement park, or…" he grinned. "The beach!"

Hinata blinked. "The…beach? Naruto-kun, it's winter."

Naruto shrugged. "So? We can all just hang out and go get lunch or something."

Hinata smiled. "Ok. Sounds fun."

And so the next day, they gathered their friends and planned a trip to the beach. They all agreed and met that upcoming Sunday at Naruto's house.

To the beach!

Beach trip! During winter! Lol...Woohoo! Review please! Sorry for the shortness, the next chapter WILL be longer!


	15. To The Beach!

Disclaimer: Same as always.

Beach chapter! In December! Haha. Enjoy!

Chapter 15

To the Beach!

Hinata inhaled the salty sea air, smiling as the wind played with her hair.

"It's nice that it's sunny today." Sakura said.

Today Naruto, Hinata, Sakura, Sasuke, Temari, and Shikamaru had all decided to go to the beach. Why? Because Naruto's crazy and, oddly enough, very persuasive.

Sasuke sat on the sand with Sakura, the two talking quietly.

Temari and Shikamaru walked along the edge of the shore, holding hands, talking.

Hinata stepped into the water barefoot and quickly jumped back, squeaking in surprise and giggling.

Naruto smiled and suddenly came up behind her, picking her up and spinning around with her in his arms. The two laughed, falling back in the sand. Naruto smiled at his girlfriend, cupping the side of her face in his hand. "Hinata?"

"Hm?" Hinata smiled back.

"We have a tournament coming up…and…I was wondering…would you…be there…for me?" Naruto asked.

Hinata nodded. "Of course. Besides…" she blushed a little. "You-You're always there for me, Naruto-kun….s-so I want to be there for you, as well."

Naruto nuzzled her nose with his nose. "You're amazing, Hina-chan."

Hinata blushed like she did every time he called her that. "N-Naruto-AH! Hey!"

Naruto had wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her on top of him, grinning like the dork he was.

She giggled. "You're silly, Naru-MMF!" her eyes widened as he sat up and kissed her.

The two sat up, sharing a shy, sweet kiss. They pulled apart and smiled at each other before hugging each other.

With Shikamaru and Temari…

Temari held Shikamaru's hand as they walked along the shore of the beach. "At least it's sunny today. Why did we agree to this?"

Shikamaru yawned. "It seemed like a good idea. Our group hasn't actually gone and done something in a while."

"What about the others? I know Yamanaka couldn't come because she has to work, but what about Inuzuka, Lee, and Sai?" Temari asked.

"Our sensei wanted them to come in for extra training for the tournament." Shikamaru said.

"Why not you three?" she asked.

Shikamaru shrugged. "They must think we're ready…I mean, the others are ready but they don't miss any opportunity to train more, especially Lee. If Naruto weren't so set on this beach trip he would've joined them." He let go of her hand and wrapped his arm around her waist. "Enough questions." He kissed her temple.

The two continued walking along the shore, occasionally kicking some water and sand at the other, unable to hold back their laughter.

With Sasuke and Sakura…

Sakura sighed, laying back on the beach towel she had brought for herself. She closed her eyes, smiling. "Ya know, even though it's winter and we're all wearing pants and jackets, it's pretty nice out today."

Sasuke shrugged. "I guess."

Sakura opened her eyes, sitting up on her elbows. "Sasuke…when are we going to tell the others?" She asked quietly, even though their friends weren't within hearing distance.

Sasuke looked at the blue sky, only a few clouds scattered here and there. "On one hand, they might just be surprised, but accept it."

"And on the other hand?" she asked, not sure where he was going with this.

He looked at her. "On the other hand, once we're made public to the whole school, who knows what Karin and those other girls will do to you?"

Sakura frowned. "Oh. Right." She sighed. Years ago, when Karin found out Sakura liked Sasuke, she had tormented her for days, calling her ugly and putting her down with hateful words. When she made fun of her hair, Sakura broke down one night and cut it to the length it was now. When Sasuke asked the next day, she said she "just wanted to look different." Sakura had recently told him about Karin's tormenting her, and he told her that he'd protect her…but they both knew there were times they'd have to be apart during school.

Sasuke suddenly put his hand on her hand, surprising her.

"Sasuke! The others…" Sakura was cut off.

"Who cares? We started this together, we'll get through it together." Sasuke said, looking straight into her eyes. "I love you, Sakura."

Sakura smiled. "I love you, too, Sasuke."

The young Uchiha leaned forward and kissed her.

"WHAT THE HELL?!"

Sasuke pulled back and sighed, resting his forehead against her shoulder.

"WHEN DID THIS HAPPEN?!" Naruto shouted as he and the others approached them, all four of them in shock.

"Um…a while ago?" Sakura laughed nervously.

"Why didn't you tell us?" Temari asked, her and Hinata smiling.

"We didn't know how you'd react. Naruto, stop looking so shocked." Sasuke said.

For the rest of the day, they all sat on the sand, wrapped in blankets they had brought with them, just talking and laughing and having a great time.

It was one of their most memorable beach trips ever.

* * *

Sorry it's short, just wanted to finally post something for this story. Sorry for the long wait! Review please!


	16. Presents

Disclaimer: Me still no own.

WAAAAH! I AM SOOOO SORRY! ((bows repeatedly)) My mom was in the hospital for gallbladder surgery and I got writer's block and I got lazy and-!

All Naruto characters: GET ON WITH IT ALREADY!

((sigh)) Okay. This chapter was written just to get back into the swing of things, plus I remember writing the last chapter originally as filler before this chapter since it's winter. Sorry for not writing this at Christmastime, but I don't think you all want to wait THAT much longer for an update, right? So…yeah. Enjoy!

Chapter 16

Presents

Hinata smiled at her reflection in her mirror. She wore a knee-length, flowy, light blue dress with white wedges (Those shoes that are like casual heels…for those that didn't know. Ahem. Anyways…) and her hair pulled back with a light blue ribbon tied around her pony-tail. She grabbed a light blue sweater and some small boxes wrapped in different colored paper before leaving her room and walking to the front door. "I'm going to Sakura-chan's house!" she called out into the house.

"Don't stay out too late." Her father replied.

Hinata nodded and opened the front door to find a car outside her house.

Naruto smiled and waved at her, leaning against his parents' car that he had borrowed for the night.

Tonight was Naruto and the gang's first Christmas Eve together since Hinata joined their group. So, to celebrate, the friends were having a Christmas party at Sakura's house.

"Hey." Naruto hugged her.

"Hi." Hinata hugged him back. They stood like that for a while until Hinata shivered.

Naruto then quickly opened the car door for her, closing it behind her once she was inside the car. He got into the car as well and drove them to Sakura's house.

At Sakura's house, Sakura was humming to herself as she finished putting out snacks for everybody. Her parents were out of town on business, so they all had the house to themselves. Sakura smiled at the living room. "Looks good."

A pair of arms snaked around her waist from behind her. "Nice work." The owner of the arms said, kissing her neck.

Sakura laughed. "Sasuke, the others will be here soon."

Sasuke shrugged. "They aren't here yet, are they?"

The doorbell rang.

Sasuke sighed and let go of his girlfriend. "Of course."

Sakura kissed his cheek before leaving the room to answer the door. She opened the door and smiled. "Hey guys, come on in."

Ino, Sai, Lee, Kiba, and Chouji all walked in.

"I still can't believe it! You and Sasuke! And you actually kept it a secret from me!" Ino said to Sakura, having just found out the other day.

Sakura smiled. "Sorry."

The doorbell rang again.

"It's open!" Everyone called to the door.

Shikamaru, Temari, Gaara, and Kankuro all walked in.

And finally, a couple minutes later, the doorbell rang again, and in walked Naruto and Hinata.

"Now that everybody's here…" Sakura was cut off.

"Let's party!" Ino said.

The girls laughed and the guys chuckled at Ino's outburst.

The group had put all the presents and cards for each other on the coffee table to be distributed later on that night.

First, they put on a random Christmas movie for background noise. Then, they spent the night talking, eating snacks, and laughing about funny memories from past holidays.

As it drew closer to midnight, the gang gathered in Sakura's living room around the coffee table. As the clock struck midnight, they all wished each other "A Merry Christmas" before picking out the presents addressed to them from the table.

As they opened presents, Hinata looked around the room, smiling.

"What's up, Hinata? You're spacing out. Something the matter?" Naruto asked, sounding worried.

Hinata shook her head, still smiling a small smile. "No, it's just that…well, when I first moved here, I expected to lay low, not get involved with anybody, not make any friends…but then I met you, Naruto. And then Sakura-chan and Ino-chan. Meeting you three led me to meeting everybody else. So…thank you, for helping me to have the life I have today."

Naruto wrapped his arm around her shoulders, smiling. He kissed her cheek and she blushed. "Open your next present, it's from me."

Hinata nodded and untied the bow holding the bright purple box closed. She took off the lid and gasped. "Naruto…! This is…!"

Inside the box was a ring, a plain simple band with a diamond in the center.

"Hinata." Naruto held her hands in his. "I got you this to ask you to promise me something."

All their friends listened, watching them intently, curious to know what Naruto was going to say.

Hinata blushed. "W-What is it?"

Naruto fought back a blush of his own. "When we graduate high school…will you…be my fiancé?"

Hinata's eyes widened. She could feel everyone's eyes on her, waiting for her to give her answer. Feeling tears in her eyes and a small smile spread onto her face, she nodded. "Yes!"

Their friends clapped and cheered (well, the ones who it makes sense to clap) as Naruto slid the ring onto her right ring finger, so her dad wouldn't get suspicious if he noticed it. The two shared a quick hug, not ones for too much PDA, and leaned back against the couch they were sitting on.

They all had opened their presents, except for Sakura's last present that she had saved for last-from Sasuke. Now, Sasuke hadn't given her many gifts-the occasional flower or two, or little trinkets she liked when they went on dates-so she was surprised that he had given her a gift to open in front of their friends.

Sasuke kept his arm around Sakura's shoulders, looking calm. As usual, she couldn't figure out what he was thinking. She examined the box-it wasn't tiny, but it wasn't what you'd consider medium-sized either. She unwrapped the shiny dark blue paper with snowflakes on it and lifted the lid off the box. Her eyes widened…and she felt tears form in her eyes. "Oh, Sasuke…"

Inside the box, nestled in tissue paper, was a flower made of clay in a clay flower pot. The flower was pink and the pot was a dark blue. It was a school project that Sakura had made for him in the first grade.

_Flashback_

"Um, here, Sasuke-kun." A six year old Sakura said, holding out a clay flower in a clay pot to him.

The class had been given arts and crafts time, and Sakura had made a present for the young Uchiha.

Six year old Sasuke stared at it, confused. He looked at her and pointed at himself. "For me? Why?"

Sakura smiled shyly. "W-Well, I heard Naruto saying your birthday is coming up soon, so…here. Happy early birthday." She held the clay figure out to him again.

Sasuke looked at it for a moment before nodding and accepting the gift, carefully taking the still slightly soft clay from her small hands. "Thank you, Haruno."

Sakura smiled. "You're welcome."

When Sasuke got home that day, he put the present on a shelf in his closet, where it stayed for many years, until now…

_End Flashback_

"You kept this?" Sakura asked, a single tear falling down her cheek.

Sasuke wiped away her tear with his thumb. "Yeah. It's meant so much to me, but now I want you to have it back. Look." He turned it around so she could see what he had written on the pot in black permanent ink. It simply read 'Thank you. I love you. S+S.'

Sakura hugged him tightly.

Their friends all smiled at them.

It was now around one in the morning. They all told each other to drive safe and drove home to their houses.

Once everybody had left, Sakura walked to her room and placed the clay figurine on her bedside table next to a framed picture of her and Sasuke hugging and facing the camera in the snow, taken about a week ago when they went on a double date with Naruto and Hinata.

Sasuke came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist. "It's late, let's get some sleep."

Sakura nodded. "…thank you. With my parents being out of town on business, I thought I'd have the worst Christmas ever. Are you sure it's ok if I spend it with you and your family?"

Sasuke nodded. "You know my family likes you-they said they wouldn't want me to be alone on Christmas either. So let's get some sleep so we can wake up in a couple hours and go to my place."

Sakura nodded. "Ok." The two changed into pajamas-Sakura in a tank top and shorts and Sasuke in a pair of sweatpants-and climbed into Sakura's bed, falling asleep as soon as their heads hit the pillows.

It was a Christmas they would all remember for sure.

* * *

The next chapter will have some drama in it, but I'm not going to write another Christmas chapter, 'cause I don't know if y'all wanna read that in April. So...yeah. Review please!


	17. Truth

Disclaimer: Do we really need to keep putting these after the first chapter? Of course I couldn't possibly own something as epic as Naruto or Naruto: Shippuden.

Couldn't wait to update this, because it has some Karin bashing in it. (Sorry to Karin fans. Sakura bugs other people, but Karin bugs me more.) This has drama for SasuSaku, and the next chapter has drama for NaruHina. And to clear up last chapter's NaruHina scene, Naruto didn't ACTUALLY propose. It's kind of like a promise ring-the ring symbolizes Hinata's promise to say yes to him when he actually proposes to her after they graduate from high school. The only reason it's so nice with a small diamond on a simple silver band is because Naruto wanted to give her something special. Ok, now that I've babbled on, let's get to the drama!

One more quick note, one of my reviewers asked why Ino was the only single one, so I finally paired her with somebody-it was a toss up between Sai and Chouji, and my friend picked Chouji. I think they make a cute couple, based on other fanfics I've read. What do you think?

Enjoy!

Chapter 17

Truth

Sakura smiled to herself, thinking about their winter break. She had spent Christmas day with the Uchiha family, and every night after that, while her parents were on vacation, Sasuke spent the night. The two spent the rest of their winter break cuddling, watching movies, going on dates, and making love-things to show each other how much they cared about one another.

Sakura left study hall to meet with Sasuke by her locker. By now the locker hallways were empty…except for Sasuke and a girl with red hair.

Sakura froze, eyes wide, stopping in her tracks, dropping her bag on the floor.

The girl was Karin, and she had her arms wrapped around Sasuke, their lips pressed firmly together. Sasuke's eyes were open, with his arms wrapped loosely around her waist. Sasuke's back was pressed again Sakura's locker.

As soon as they heard her bag hit the floor, the two pulled apart, looking in her direction.

Karin smirked, leaning against Sasuke's chest. "Snooze you loose, loser."

Sakura felt tears form in her eyes. "Sasuke…how could you?!" Grabbing her school bag, she took off running in the opposite direction. She ran and ran, all the way home, where she locked herself in her room and cried until she cried herself to sleep.

With Sasuke and Karin…

"What the hell?" Sasuke glared at Karin coldly, pushing her away from him.

Karin frowned. "What? You're single, right? Why can't we be together?"

"Because I'm not single." Sasuke started to leave. "Don't force yourself on me, don't kiss me, and don't ever touch me again."

"But who?! Who the hell could possibly be dating you, the hottest guy in school?!" Karin asked, shocked.

Sasuke looked over his shoulder. "Haruno Sakura." With that, he left the clueless redhead in the hallway, still in shock from the information that had been given to her.

At Sakura's house…

Sakura woke up to the sound of someone knocking on her front door, ringing her doorbell over and over again. She slowly made her way to the door, sniffling. She opened the door and gasped. "S-Sasuke!" she glared at him. "Go away." She went to slam the door in his face.

Sasuke stopped the door with his foot. "Will you just listen to me?"

Sakura felt tears welling up in her eyes again. "Why should I?"

"Because I didn't know Karin was going to force herself on me!" he said, stepping into her house and closing the door behind him so the neighbors wouldn't overhear them.

Sakura laughed bitterly. "You expect me to believe that load of bull?"

"I'm serious! She threw herself at me!"

"Then why were your arms around her?!"

"She grabbed my arms and did that!"

Sakura covered her face with her hands, crying a little. "…get out. I can't see you right now."

Sasuke frowned. "Fine." He left her house without another word.

The next day at school…

Ino closed her locker.

"Hey, Yamanaka." Chouji walked up to her, smiling.

Ino smiled. "Oh, hey." She frowned. "Have you seen Sakura? I haven't seen her yet today."

Chouji shook his head, also frowning. "No. Everyone's getting worried. She rarely misses school. The guys and I asked Sasuke, but he just said he didn't know and blew us off. Do you think they're having a fight?"

Ino sighed. "I don't know…but that Karin bitch must have found out about them, because she's been blabbing it to every girl in school."

Chouji nodded. "Yeah, I overheard some girls talking about them in class earlier today-she must have started telling people as soon as she got to school." He suddenly looked away from her. "So, uh, I was wondering…if you're free tonight…"

Ino smiled a little. "Aw…that's so sweet. But, I just don't know…I mean, you've been a good friend of mine for years…wouldn't it be weird?"

"Temari and Shikamaru have been friends for years, and they're dating." Chouji pointed out.

The bell rang for them to get to their next class.

Ino waved to Chouji. "I'll think about. Meet me outside at the front of the school after school gets out, ok?" She hurried to her next class, blushing a little. Lately, she and Chouji had been hanging out more, since they were lab partners in their science class. But how could she like him? They were two totally different people. Totally not her type…on the other hand…he was nice, funny, and a great martial artist…so…maybe he was her type? She sighed, shaking her head as she sat down at her desk in her next class. 'I'll think more about it.'

Sorry for the shortness, Sasuke and Sakura drama will continue in the next chapter a little bit, but it will mostly focus on NaruHina drama and more InoCho if you guys support that, if not I can always go back and change the chapter. Review please!


	18. Over?

Disclaimer: I claim no ownership!

Ok, so I got a couple review supporting InoCho, so I'm sticking with that. Time for some NaruHina drama, with a little InoCho, and just a teensy bit of continued SasuSaku drama. Let me know if Hinata is too OOC, please. Enjoy!

Chapter 18

Over?

The martial arts competition was in two weeks.

Hinata sighed as she warmed up for her jazz class. She looked at herself in one of the many mirrors. She pulled her long hair back up into a pony-tail, frowning. How was she supposed to tell him? She looked at the ring on her right ring finger, feeling tears well up in her eyes. She quickly wiped away her tears so no one would ask questions. She stood up and put on a smile, focusing on the combo they were learning in class that day.

After class, she changed back into her school uniform, grabbed her schoolbag, and left the studio. She looked up to see Naruto leaning against the wall of the studio. She felt like her heart was about to break into itty bitty pieces.

Naruto smiled her favorite smile. "Hey, thought I'd surprise…you…What's wrong?" he frowned.

Hinata looked at the ground…and then she took off the ring he had given her. She held it out to him. "…we can't see each other anymore. I'm sorry." She bowed quickly before leaving.

Naruto caught the ring before it hit the ground, watching her run away in shock. "Hinata…?"

At Sakura's house…

"HE DID WHAT?!" Ino screeched.

Sakura sat hugging a pillow on her bed. She sighed. "He explained himself, but I don't believe it. It just seems too unbelievable."

Ino sighed, sitting on the bed next to her. "Sorry, girlie. Wish we could do something…you could kiss another guy?"

Sakura shook her head. "I'm not sinking to that level."

Ino smiled a little. "You still love him."

Sakura frowned. "No! Maybe…I don't know…" Sakura decided to change the subject. "How did your date go with Chouji last night?"

Ino smiled. "It went great, actually. He held doors open for me and pulled chairs out for me and everything. He was very sweet, he even bought me a pink rose from my parents' flower shop before he picked me up."

Sakura smiled a little, still feeling depressed. "So…are you going to go out again or what?"

Ino blushed a little, smiling. "Uh-huh. Tomorrow night we're going to go to the movie theater."

Sakura smiled normally. "That's good." Then she smiled sadly. "I wonder if Sasuke and I will ever go on a date again."

Ino put a hand on her friend's shoulder. "You will. I've seen your guys' relationship develop over the years-you love each other. I don't think that kind of love with disappear."

Sakura nodded. "Thank you, Ino-chan." She hugged her friend.

Ino pulled back and frowned. "I wonder if Hinata-chan's told Naruto yet…"

Sakura frowned as well. "I hope she finds somebody…otherwise…it's goodbye."

At Hinata's house…

Hinata sat in her room, crying let out what she had been holding in all day. Only Sakura and Ino knew-they were the only ones she wanted to know until it was close to happening. Close to…

Somebody knocked on her door.

"Hinata. It's your father. We need to talk."

Hinata sniffled and wiped the tears off her cheeks before answering the door. "Yes, father?"

"If it makes you happy, we can make a deal."

Hinata looked confused. "A deal?"

Her father nodded. "If you can find a friend of yours that I approve of to stay with, you may stay here."

Hinata hid her shocked expression and nodded. "Yes, father."

Her father nodded and walked back down the hall.

Hinata closed her door, leaning back against it and sliding down to sit on the floor, sighing. But who would her father approve of?

Something suddenly made a 'click' noise-it came from her window.

Confused, she stood up and walked to her window, looking outside…to see Naruto outside. Hinata's room was on the second floor of her house, so he had to stand back a little for her to see him.

"Hinata!" he whispered loudly enough to hear.

Hinata frowned, feeling the tears start up again. "N-Naruto…"

Naruto held up the ring she had given back to him. "What's wrong? This isn't like you to hide things from me."

Hinata wiped tears away from her face. "I…I'm moving."

Naruto felt like someone had punched him in the gut. "M-Moving?!"

Hinata nodded. "Unless I can find somebody to stay with that my father approves of…I-I have to move again."

Naruto shook his head. "No! I won't let that happen!"

Hinata stared at him with wide eyes. Did he really care this much about her?

Naruto held his arms out at his sides, palms facing forward. "Stay with me!"

Hinata froze where she stood. Live…with Naruto…? "My father would never…!"

"WHO'S THERE?!" Hinata's father shouted.

Naruto ducked into the bushes and ran across their neighbor's front yard, running back to his house to tell his parents what had happened.

Hinata quickly but quietly closed her window, closing her curtains. She flopped back on her bed, staring at the ceiling.

Minato and Kushina had become a second set of parents to her. And she was in love with Naruto… She blushed, rolling onto her stomach and burying her face in a pillow. 'It's not like we'd stay in the same room! They have a guest bedroom! Still…' She thought of all the nice things that could be a result of living with the Uzumaki family-getting to stay at Konoha High School, getting to stay at the dance studio, leaving the house together with Naruto to go to school… The thought made her smile. She knew Sakura's and Ino's houses didn't have guest rooms, and all their rooms were filled. She thought of Temari, but with her brothers there just wasn't enough room for another person there.

So…it looked like Naruto's home was her only option.

Now came the really challenging part…trying to convince her dad to her stay at the Uzumaki household.

Review please!


	19. I Won't Ever Let Go Of This Hand

Disclaimer: Nope. Still don't own nuthin'.

I'm on a roll with updates! So keep those reviews coming and I'll try to update once a day!

This was written after watching a VERY well done NaruHina AMV to the song "Your Guardian Angel." (no ownership to that either) So, this chapter is totally NaruHina! Enjoy!

Note: Is Hinata's dad being too OOC? I'm just portraying him as strict. Also, sorry I haven't used his name until now, I forgot what it was and have been too lazy to look it up. Sorry. Anywho…Read on!

Chapter 19

I Won't Ever Let Go Of This Hand

"Absolutely not!"

Hinata sat on the floor in the living room facing her father, her head bowed after asking about living with the Uzumaki family.

"No daughter of mine will be living with a male she is not related to, even if he does live with his parents!"

Someone knocked on the door. It was almost nine o'clock at night.

"Who on earth could that be at this hour? Stay here, this discussion is not over." Her father ordered, walking to the front door and opening.

A man with blond hair similar to Naruto's and a woman with long red hair stood on their front porch, Naruto standing in front of them.

Hiashi narrowed his eyes at them, recognizing Naruto. "We're in the middle of a family discussion."

"And we would like to give our two cents in the matter." Minato said.

Hinata heard their voices and froze up. 'Naruto…Minato-san…Kushina-san…why are you…?'

Hiashi sighed and nodded, still not looking pleasant. "Come in."

The Uzumaki's walked into the house, Hinata's father closing the door behind them. He led them to the living room and they all sat on the floor next to Hinata-from left to right: Minato, Naruto, Hinata, and Kushina.

Hinata was freaking out. This couldn't end well. What if she never got to see these people again? What if she would lose all contact with Naruto? How would she handle that?

"Give your two cents." Hiashi said, sitting across from them on the other side of the low table in the center of the room.

"Hinata-san has been visiting us since she and Naruto began dating. She has become a part of our family, and we would accept her into our home with open arms." Minato said.

"She would have her own room on the first floor of our house in the guest bedroom by the stairs. Naruto's room is on the second floor at the other end of the hallway. We're very family-oriented, so we do a lot of things together like watching movies and going on family outings. Our home is always clean and well-stocked with food." Kushina explained.

"Sir." Naruto suddenly held Hinata's hand, making her eyes widened and her heart skip a beat as she looked at him. "I love your daughter. With all my heart. From her first day of school when I stopped some bullies from picking on her, I've seen her grow-as a student, as a dancer…" he smiled. "…and as a person. Basically, moving here seems to have changed her completely from that first day I met her. She has made so many friends here, like Sakura-chan and Ino-chan, and I'd hate to see her lose it all. So please." He bowed his head, still not letting go on Hinata's hand. "Please…don't make her leave." He looked at Hinata, who was still looking at him with wide eyes. "She's everything to me."

Hinata felt tears well up in her eyes, but she refused to cry in front of her father. The four of them looked at Hiashi for his response.

Hiashi stood, face blank. "…you have three days to pack up your things and move out. I expect a letter every week with progress on your studies. You may show our guests out. That is all."

The four of them bowed to say thank you before standing and exiting the room, Naruto holding on tightly to Hinata's hand, Hinata holding on just as tightly to his hand.

Once they were outside in front of the house, Hinata let her tears fall, sobbing as she threw her arms around Naruto, crying tears of joy.

Minato and Kushina held hands, smiling at the young couple.

Naruto didn't care that his parents were there; he picked up Hinata and spun around in a circle before placing her back on the ground and kissing her passionately.

Hinata closed her eyes, wrapped her arms around her boyfriend.

When they pulled apart, Naruto took the ring he had given her out of his pocket, holding it up between them.

Hinata smiled and nodded.

Naruto slid the ring back onto her right ring finger, kissing the palm of her hand as soon as it was on her finger.

Hinata blushed at the action and Naruto grinned his usual dopey grin. He held her hand tightly, the hand he still hadn't let go of. "I won't ever let go of this hand-never."

Hinata hugged him, resting her head against his strong chest. "…I love you, Naruto." She whispered.

Naruto wrapped his arm around her lower back. "I love you, too, Hinata." He whispered back.

"Hey, where's our hugs?" Kushina asked, smiling.

Hinata turned and smiled at them. She tugged on Naruto's hand and the two walked over to Naruto's parents, the four sharing a group hug.

Hinata smiled as she hugged her new extended family. 'I too won't ever let go of this hand-never.'

Aw…and you guys thought I was going to split them up. Haha, of course not! Now, next chapter focuses on both Hinata moving into the Uzumaki household as well as some of the SasuSaku drama. No InoCho for about another two chapters, sorry. There might be mentions and snippets of them, but I need to resolve the SasuSaku drama first. Review please!


	20. Welcome Home!

Disclaimer: ((sighs)) That's all I have to say. Sigh. Of course I don't own it.

Hey guys! One of you awesome reviewers told me that it'd be cool for me to update this story on their birthday! So…Happy birthday, narutofreak23! I decided to make this a less dramatic and more of a happy chapter! So I hope y'all like it! Enjoy!

Oh, and yes the not letting go of each other's hands is from the manga during the war after (spoiler alert!) Neji dies and Hinata slaps Naruto. If you've read that far you should get that. Anywho…let's get this show on the road!

Chapter 20

Welcome Home!

Three days had passed.

Ino and Chouji were still dating, taking things slow.

Sasuke was still ignoring his friends, and Sakura was ignoring him by staying home.

And now, Hinata carried the final box of her things to Kushina's van, putting it in the back with the other boxes. The furniture had been moved earlier that day because she had still been staying at her now old house. Hinata got in the back seat with Naruto, watching as they drove away from her house and her family that would be moving in a couple of days back to her hometown. She sighed, her elbow against the door and her chin resting on the palm of her hand.

She felt something brush against her other hand that was on her knee. She jumped a little, quickly looking at who had randomly touched her. She smiled back at a smiling Naruto. She put her hand on top of his, gently squeezing his hand. They held hands until they got back to Naruto's-and now hers as well-house.

They carried the rest of the boxes into the house and into Hinata's new room. Once that was done, it was close to dinnertime.

"I'll go start dinner. Minato, you help." Kushina said, holding tightly to the blond man's arm.

"Wha-? Why? Wait, Kushina!" Minato was then dragged into the kitchen and forced to chop vegetables.

Hinata was making her bed when Naruto knocked on the open door. She just finished laying her comforter on the bed before turning around and smiling at him. "Hi."

Naruto smiled back. "Can I come in?"

Hinata nodded.

Naruto walked in, looking around at her new room. "It's funny…before this room was your room, before it was a guest room…it was my play room. Sasuke and the guys used to come over all the time and we'd play with action figures in here." He grinned. "We'd mostly play ninja, since we started martial arts so young."

Hinata smiled at the look on Naruto's face-the look of remembering times from long ago.

Hinata sat on her bed, pulling her knees to her chest. "I wish I'd gotten to grow up with you, as well."

Naruto smiled a little, walking over to her bed and sitting next to her. He put his arms out at his sides, an invitation for her to be held in his arms.

Hinata smiled a little as well and scooted over so that she was leaning against his chest as he wrapped his arms around her. She closed her eyes, listening to his heartbeat and the steady sound of his breathing. She was so comfortable in his arms that she fell asleep.

About a half-hour later, Kushina went to Hinata's room to tell them dinner was ready, expecting them to be sitting up talking. Instead, they were laying back on Hinata's bed, arms wrapped around each other, with Hinata's head on Naruto's chest, and both of them fast asleep.

Kushina smiled at the sight.

"What is it?" Minato asked, walking up behind her. He saw the two teens as well as smiled. He stood behind his wife, wrapping his arms around her from behind, putting his chin on her shoulder. "I remember when we were that young…in love for the first time."

Kushina turned around and smiled at him, wrapping her arms around his neck. "Let's eat dinner and put their meals in the fridge with a note for them. They're exhausted from packing and moving her things after school, on top of keeping up with their homework."

Minato nodded.

The two left the two alone, keeping the door open, and eating their dinner in silence so they wouldn't wake them up. They cleaned their dishes and put them in the dishwasher before going upstairs to their room where they also held each other as they slept.

Hinata woke up and gasped, quickly sitting up. "N-N-Naruto?!"

Naruto heard her voice and woke up, yawning as he sat up, still sleepy. Once he realized what had happened, his eyes snapped open. "Wah!" he fell off the bed.

Hinata giggled at his reaction, unable to help laughing at his comical behavior.

Naruto sat up and scratched behind his neck. "Eh heh…oops." He stood up. "Guess we fell asleep." His stomach grumbled. "Guess we missed dinnertime. Let's go see what my parents left for us."

Hinata followed Naruto out of her room and into the kitchen.

There was a note saying that dinner was in the fridge. Naruto opened the fridge and took out two covered plates with fried rice, vegetables, and chicken on them. He set them down on the table in the dining room and got them chopsticks. They sat across from each other, occasionally smiling at each other as they ate. When they were done, they washed their dishes and put them in the dishwasher.

Naruto yawned, looking at the kitchen clock. "Oops. Ten o'clock. We'd better get some sleep so we don't fall asleep at school."

Hinata nodded in agreement. They walked back to her room. Hinata rocked back on her heels. "So, um, goodnight."

"Yeah." He looked at the floor. He glanced up to see her looking to the right. "Welcome home." He quickly leaned forward and kissed her.

Her eyes widened, but she kissed back, a smile slowly appearing on her face. They pulled apart, slowly turning away from each other before Hinata went into her room and closed the door behind her. She smiled as she got into bed and pulled the covers over herself. 'I've never felt so at home.'

* * *

Tee hee...Iz threwz inz somez MinatoxKushina...Yeah! Always wanted to at least write a single scene between them. Review please!


	21. Tears

Disclaimer: Nope. Wait-no. Still nothing.

Wow! Two updates in one day! I just can't stop writing this story! Back to SasuSaku! That's all I really have to say…Enjoy!

WARNING: SLIGHT HIGH 'T' RATING! YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED! Ok, now you may read on.

Chapter 21

Tears

Sakura hadn't been to school for a week. There were times where she would tell even Ino not to visit her, and to just leave her missed assignments on the bench on her front porch for her mom to collect when she got home from work. While Sakura's parents were getting very worried about her, they didn't know how to approach the situation. All they knew from Ino was that she and Sasuke had a fight. They would bring her food, but she would rarely eat it. Sakura was in a deep depression…and only one person could pull her out of it.

As Sakura walked out of the bathroom connected to her room, the door suddenly closed behind her and a hand covered her mouth, an arm wrapping tightly around her waist. She screamed into the hand, panicking. She tried to elbow her captor in the stomach, but the arm around her held her arms at her sides.

"Sakura! Be quiet! It's me!"

Sakura's eyes widened. Shit. She knew that voice. She slowly looked over her shoulder and stared in shock at the young Uchiha behind her.

"I'm going to let go, but you have to promise not to scream, ok?"

Sakura nodded slowly.

Sasuke then removed his hand from her mouth, keeping his arm now wrapped loosely around her waist. Bad idea. Her hand were free now.

Sakura slapped him across the face, tears threatening to spill over. "You have some nerve showing up here! How the hell did you even get in here?!" She whispered harshly.

Showing nodded towards her open window. Your window was open so I climbed the tree next to your window so I could get up here."

Sakura sighed shakily. "What do you want?"

Sasuke stared at her, staring straight into her eyes. "I want you back, Sakura. I asked Ino today how you've been doing and she started yelling at me. Sakura." He walked towards her so she backed up against a wall. He put his hands against the wall next to her shoulders-she was cornered. "I'm NOT lying. Karin's the school slut, you know that, she hits on any guy that can walk. Why would I be with somebody like that? And what reason do I have for cheating on you?"

Sakura was speechless, unable to answer his questions-she didn't have any answers.

Sasuke leaned forward, pressing his forehead against hers. "Sakura…I love you."

That's where Sakura lost it. She broke down crying, a week's worth of emotions exploding all at once. She sank to the floor, wrapping her arms around her legs.

Sasuke kneeled in front of her, wrapping his arms around her in a gentle hug.

Sakura threw her arms around him, clinging to his shirt, currently being stained with her tears. "I missed you! So, so much! I was scared! I'm sorry!" she sobbed.

Sasuke stroked her hair, kissing her temple. "No, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have fallen for Karin's tricks. Can you forgive me?"

Sakura sniffled and looked up at him, nodding. "Yes."

Sasuke gave her a smile reserved especially for her. They leaned forward at the same time and their lips met in a sweet, gentle kiss.

Sakura light touched his cheek she had slapped. "Sorry about that."

Sasuke shrugged. "Hey, if anybody's going to be slapping me, I'd rather it be you."

Sakura smiled a little.

Sasuke ran his finger through her hair. "…are your parents home?"

Sakura knew where this was going. "No. They won't be back until sometime in the morning, they went to some office party or something."

Sasuke kissed her neck. "Hmm…so I have you all to myself?"

Sakura frowned. "So soon after all that's happened?"

Sasuke put his lips next to her ear. "Don't tell me you weren't thinking the same thing, Sa-ku-ra-chan."

Sakura looked away, blushing a little. "M-Maybe…" She looked out of the corner of her eye to see Sasuke pulling a box of condoms out of his jacket pocket.

"So?" he cupped the side of her face in his hand.

Sakura sighed, smiling a little. "Fine…but you need to leave right away before my parents get home."

Sasuke nodded. "I don't know how long Itachi can cover for me, anyway. Now." He scooped her up, making a 'squeak' noise escape her lips-followed by laughter-as he carried her to her bed. He gently set her down on her bed, sitting in front of her and lifting her nightshirt off her body to-

"What the hell happened to you?" Sasuke whispered.

Sakura grabbed a pillow and covered her torso. "…I haven't been hungry. It's only been for a week, it's not that noticeable."

"Not that noticeable? Sakura, I could see your ribcage when your arms were up." Sasuke said, looking very worried.

Within a week, Sakura, who had already been a little skinny, had noticeably lost weight from not eating. Sakura looked away from him. "…All I could do was lay around and be depressed. I tried eating, but nothing tasted good."

Sasuke frowned. "What have a I done to you?" he whispered, just barely loud enough for her to hear. He pulled the pillow away from her torso and kissed her skin where her ribcage was located.

Sakura closed her eyes, leaning back against the pillows. It felt like forever since his lips touched her body.

Sasuke took off his shirt.

Sakura opened her eyes and drank in the sight of his muscular chest, in perfect shape from years of martial arts. He wasn't extremely muscular, just fit, and to her, the very embodiment of sexiness.

Sakura crawled over to him and kissed his chest, over his heart.

Sasuke smiled a little, wrapped his arms around her. "…only you will ever see this side of me. I promise."

Sakura pulled back from him a little, holding up her pinky, smiling. "Pinky promise?"

Sasuke blinked. "Seriously?"

Sakura pouted and Sasuke sighed, giving in and wrapping his pinky around hers. "Pinky promise. Now then." Sasuke tackled Sakura back onto the bed, making her giggle. "What shall we do first?"

Sakura ran her fingers through his hair. "Surprise me."

Clothes were suddenly flying through the air to random locations of the room and the two young lovers became tangled up in the blankets.

That night, tears of sorrow were not all that were shed…but tears of joy, as well.

Review please!


	22. Day 1

Disclaimer: I do not own this stuff! JEEZ ALREADY! …eh heh…sorry.

Getting back into the boys' side of the story…Enjoy! (Please excuse all lack of martial arts terms, as I stopped taking karate at a yellow belt in kindergarten because it was that or Girl Scouts, and I wanted to be a Daisy, so there.)

Oh, and yes I just realized I could have kept the Sand Siblings in Suna this entire time, but it just made the ShikaTema easier this way. So that's why they aren't enemies in this story and started out as allies. Also, I screwed up what month it is, so it is now the middle of April.

Chapter 22

Day 1

Naruto slept like a log the entire way from Konoha to Suna where the martial tournament was being held. He had been up all night in the backyard training until around two o'clock in the morning, and then only getting two hours of sleep before getting woken up at four o' clock in the morning to get ready to go to Suna.

Minato packed Naruto's clothes, which he had forgotten to do then night before due to training, while Hinata and Kushina helped the half-asleep teen stumble his way to the van. They had folded down the last back row of seats to make room for their suitcases and other bags.

The competition would take place over the course of the entire weekend-the first three days of their weeklong Spring Break-Saturday, Sunday, and Monday.

Once they were all in the car, Minato driving, Kushina in the front passenger seat, and Hinata next to Naruto in the backseat, they began their drive to Suna.

A couple hours later…

Sakura sighed happily as she fell back onto the hotel bed in hers and Sasuke's hotel room. Sasuke sat on the other bed. "Well, after hours of convincing our parents, we got what we wanted."

Sakura smiled. "Yeah, three days of no parents telling us what to do."

Sasuke chuckled. "For you, yes. For me, there's still my sensei."

Sakura got up and walked over to his bed, sitting next to him. "How long until you have to go downstairs for training?"

Sasuke looked at the clock on the bedside table between the two beds. "Hm…Well, from the looks of it, we got here before Naruto and the others-I didn't recognize the few other cars in the parking lot when we got here."

Sakura looked confused. "Why did you want to get here so early, anyway? We left almost two hours before the others said they were leaving Konoha."

"Why?" Sasuke smirked, leaning over her so she laid back on the bed. "Why do you think?"

Sakura blushed, smiling little. "Be careful-don't want you hurting yourself before your tournament."

Sasuke chuckled. "Sakura, unless someone gets your really pissed off, you couldn't hurt a fly."

Sakura pouted. "Hey!"

Sasuke let out a rare laugh before kissed her forehead. "Come on. Let's order breakfast from room service. I don't need to go to training for another four hours."

Sakura looked confused again. "We ate breakfast at my place before we left."

Sasuke put his lips by her ear. "Well, then I guess we're out of things to do, eh?"

Sakura closed her eyes as Sasuke started to unbutton her blouse. "I-"

KNOCK, KNOCK, KNOCK!

"Yo, Sasuke! Somebody said you're in this room! Let's go downstairs and get breakfast with the other that are here!" Kiba shouted loudly from the other side of the door.

Sasuke sighed heavily, bowing his head, annoyed. "Damn it."

Sakura giggled quietly. "I don't think he'll go away."

Sasuke frowned. "You're probably right." He sat up, running his finger through his hair. "Oh, well. Might as well go wait for the others, anyway." He grabbed his copy of the room key. "Do you want to stay here or come with?"

Sakura shrugged, standing and fixing her blouse. "I'll come with. Ino, Temari, and Hinata are all coming, too." She grabed her copy of the room key, as well.

Sasuke stopped her by the door, kissing her. "I'll tell you now-the night this tournament is over, win or lose, you'll be my prize." He whispered in her ear.

And with that, Sasuke opened the door to find Kiba and Shino waiting.

Sakura felt her heart racing and her face heating up. She shook her head and took a deep breath before Kiba and Shino noticed her behind Sasuke. She'd have to talk to him later about what exactly it was he meant by that.

"When did you guys get here?" Sasuke asked, all traces of annoyance now hidden.

"We just got here. Our rooms are on the floor as yours." Shino said.

Sakura poked her head out from behind Sasuke. "Do you know if Shikamaru, Naruto, or Chouji are here yet?"

"Oh, hey, Sakura." Kiba said slowly, looking strangely at Sasuke as if to say 'Are you two sharing this room?'.

Sasuke simply grabbed Sakura's hand, pulled her out of the room, closed the door, and started walking down the hallway, saying, "None of your business, Inuzuka."

Shino and Kiba looked at each other and shrugged, both telling the other that they wouldn't say anything.

Three hours later…

All competitors from out of town had all reached hotels all over Suna by now.

Including the Uzumaki's plus Hinata.

"Naruto for falling asleep on your shoulder the whole way here." Naruto said, splashing water in his face from the sink in his and Hinata's room.

Hinata smiled a little. "If that's where you were comfortable, I didn't want to wake you up."

Naruto dried his face off with a towel and smiled at her. "Thanks, Hinata." He kissed her forehead. He frowned. "Are you sure you're ok sharing a room with me? If you're not, I can see if we can get you your own room-"

Hinata pressed her index finger to his lips, smiling. "I trust you, Naruto." She hugged him. "And you're going to do great. I know you will."

Naruto smiled, wrapping his arms around her. "Thank you, Hina-chan."

Hinata blushed a little, not really used to him calling her that, but not minding it, either.

After all the guys had met up and the girls had met up, the girls watched the guys leave to go to training. The competition started the next day, but it was a three day event-training, competition, and then a day to relax before going home.

"Ok, girl time." Ino smiled, wrapping her arms around Sakura's and Temari's shoulders.

Sakura smiled and wrapped her arm around Hinata's shoulders.

The four walked like that upstairs to the room that Ino and Temari were sharing. Ino, Chouji, Shikamaru, and Temari had all driven to the hotel together, and Chouji and Shikamaru were sharing the room next to Ino's and Temari's room.

They entered the room and sat on the two beds, Ino and Sakura on one bed and Hinata and Temari on the other bed, before starting to talk.

"First of all, how are the guys? Ino asked. "Chouji said he got enough sleep, but Nara and Uzumaki looked pretty tired when we all got here." She said, worried for her friends.

"Shikamaru got plenty of sleep last night. His parents let him spend the night at my place so he could hang out with Kankuro since they're both in the tournament anyway-that way we could all just drive here together. Shikamaru crashed on the couch at around nine o' clock and woke up early with the rest of us. He just always looks tired, you know that."

Ino and the others nodded. "True."

Hinata frowned, looking at her hands in her lap. "Naruto…he's trying his best not to show it…but…he was up all last night training…he only got two hours of sleep, plus the sleep he got sleeping during the whole drive here." She sighed sadly. "I'm worried about him. I've never seen him push himself this hard before."

Temari put a hand on her shoulder. "Hey, relax. Trust us. We've know Naruto for years. He just doesn't know when to take a break when it comes to martial arts. You know how Naruto and your cousin are always fighting with each other? Neji's family pushes him to be the better fighter, and then Naruto assumes because his dad was the best in his dojo he has to be the best, too." Temari smiled a little. "Naruto's strong. Everything will be fine. Look, when they're done with training, we're all going to have dinner here at the hotel together, 'kay?"

Hinata nodded, smiling a little. "Yeah…thanks, Temari."

"And then Sakura's going to go sleep with Sasuke." Ino randomly said in an attempt to lighten the mood.

"WHAT THE HELL?! WHO TOLD YOU?!" Sakura started freaking out.

Ino smirked. "You told me. Just now."

Sakura froze. "You…guessed?"

"Well, duh! Neither of your parents are here, so of course you're sharing a room." Ino said.

Sakura blushed a little, looking at the pattern on the comforter on the bed. "…am I the only one…who's…you know…?"

Ino put up her hands in defense. "I've haven't been with Chouji that long."

Hinata's face was beet red. "Th-that…w-with Naruto-k-kun…?" She shook her head, embarrassed.

All three of them turned to look at Temari, who simply shrugged and nodded. "Just don't go blabbing it to the whole world."

Sakura sighed in relief. It wasn't just her. She thought back on Sasuke's comment and her cheeks began to turn a light shade of pink. She shook her head to clear her thoughts.

A couple hours passed and the boys were done with their training for tomorrow's competition. They all took showers, got dressed, and then met downstairs at the hotel's restaurant.

They all sat at tables close to each other, since there were so many of them. Kushina and Minato sat with Jiraiya, talking about the old days when Minato was a art of the dojo.

After dinner, it was about eight o'clock. They all went to their rooms to get some sleep…except for four of the teens.

With Sasuke and Sakura…

Sakura walked out of the bathroom wearing a black pj shorts with a pink pj tank top. "Are you going straight to bed?"

Sasuke chuckled. "Do I have a reason to stay up?"

Sakura smiled a little. "No, you don't." She walked over to him, sitting next to him on the bed. She put her hand on his, looking straight into his eyes. "I want you to get all the rest you can." She leaned forward and kissed him. She pulled back and hugged him. "You're going to be great tomorrow."

Sasuke returned to gesture, hugging her back. "…thank you, Sakura." He kissed her forehead. "Let's get some sleep."

She nodded in agreement. The two climbed under the covers, turned off the lamp on the bedside table, and fell asleep in each other's arms, the other bed in the room forgotten.

With Naruto and Hinata…

Hinata laid on her bed, looking at the ceiling. She wore blue pj pants and a matching blue pj shirt. She sighed, still worrying about Naruto.

Speaking of…

Naruto sat next to her on her bed, smiling, looking a lot more awake than he had that morning. "You ok, Hina-chan?"

Hinata sat up and nodded. "Yeah."

"That didn't sound too convincing." Naruto said. He sat with his back against the headboard. He spread his legs apart and held his arms out to her, smiling. "Come here."

Hinata smiled shly as she sat between his legs with her back against his chest, his arms wrapped around her waist.

"Now. What's wrong?" he asked, resting his chin on top of her head.

Hinata frowned. "…I'm worried about you. You've been training so hard…and not getting a lot of sleep….are you really ok, Naruto?"

Her words surprised him, but Naruto hugged her tightly anyway. "You're amazing Hinata! To worry about me like that…" he smiled. "…you really love me, huh?"

Hinata turned around in his arms and smiled at him. "Of course I do, Naruto."

Naruto and Hinata stared into each other's eyes for a moment before slowly leaning forward and kissing each other.

Now, this kiss was different from their usual, gentle, sweet kisses. This kiss was heated. Naruto wrapped his arms around her, pulling her body closer to him. Hinata blushed, but continued to kiss back with just as much passion. Hinata made an "mm" sound as Naruto slowly slid his tongue into her mouth. As Naruto's hand slowly began to slide up her shirt without even thinking about it, Hinata gasped and pushed away from him.

They stared at each other with wide eyes.

"Hinata…I…I don't know what came over me." Naruto said.

Hinata was still blushing. Naruto's hand had touch her side, with no clothing between her body and his hand. And she had liked it. This new feeling both excited and scared her. "It's…ok. We, um, just got carried away, right?"

Naruto nodded. "Yeah."

Hinata laid back on her bed. "…good night, Naruto."

Naruto laid back on his bed. "Good night, Hina-chan."

Review please!


	23. What Do You Fight For?

Disclaimer: Nope, nope, me no ownie.

Ok people, I'm going to start this thing where I don't update unless I get at least three reviews for that chapter, because reviews make the world go 'round! WHEE! …ok, not really, but they do make me very happy. Seriously, the feeling of coming home after a crappy day and seeing reviews in my inbox makes me feel better. So…yeah. Enjoy!

Chapter 23

What Do You Fight For?

Hinata woke up to Naruto watching TV at five in the morning. "Mn…Naruto? What are you doing up so early? You should be getting plenty of sleep."

Naruto looked at her and shrugged. "Enh…couldn't sleep. Had a bad dream."

Hinata frowned. "Oh." There was silence for a minute. "…do you want to talk about it?"

Naruto looked at the TV. "…you were walking away from me. I kept running and reaching for you, but you kept getting farther and farther away. And then I woke up."

Hinata felt like somebody had kicked her. He probably had that dream because she pulled away from him last night. She got out of bed, keeping the comforter wrapped around herself. She walked to his bed and sat behind him, wrapping her arms around him from behind.

Naruto turned to look at her, surprised. "Hinata…?"

Hinata's bangs hid her eyes. "I'm sorry. It might have been because I pulled away from you…I just…I'm not ready for so much…physical contact."

Naruto smiled a little, turning around completely and hugging her tightly. "Hina-chan…the last thing I want to do is hurt you." He looked at her. "But I need to know-right here, right now. Will you and I make love someday?" he looked serious, but Hinata could see a faint blush on his cheeks from saying the words he chose.

Hinata nodded, smiling shyly. "Yes."

Naruto smiled and hugged her again. "I'll wait as long as I have to, then."

As Hinata fell back asleep in his arms, images of a little Naruto on his father's shoulders entered her mind. 'Someday…'

At the competition…

"FIGHT!"

The first of Jiraiya's school to fight were Lee, Neji, and Shikamaru.

The girls sat in the stands, watching as the competition continued to get more intense throughout the day. Finally, there were only four competitors left-Naruto, Sasuke, and two guys from other dojo's.

Naruto stood on the mat, looking at his opponent. The guy smirked.

"I have to fight this guy?"

Naruto recognized him as one of the bullies that had picked on Hinata when she first entered their school. "Yeah, you got a problem with that?"

"Sorta. So what happened to that girl you defended? I heard you two are going out."

"Yeah. We are. What of it?"

The other boy shrugged. "No reason. But if you lose, I wonder what she'll think of you? Maybe I could…"

"Shut up." Naruto glared.

Hinata watched them, unable to hear what they were talking about. All she knew was that Naruto looked pissed. She frowned, clasping her hands together. 'Naruto…be careful.'

"Tell me, little idiot, what is it you fight for?"

Naruto smirked. "That's easy. I fight…" he got in a fighting stance. "…for my friends! And the love of my life!"

Hinata gasped, able to hear Naruto's loud declaration. "Naruto…"

The match began.

There were punches, dodging, kicks, more dodging…and then it was over.

Naruto had won.

The crowd cheered.

Sasuke's match was next.

Sakura watched, worried for her boyfriend. In training earlier, he had sprained his ankle, but insisted that he could still fight.

The match began.

Punches, dodging, kicks, more dodging…

And then Sasuke lost, suffering an almost serious injury to his arm-but not enough to brake it, so it didn't go against the rules.

Sakura gasped, running out of the stands. She met up with Jiraiya, helping Sasuke walk out of the arena. They were in a locker room.

"I need to get back out there for Naruto's match. Think you can handle this, Haruno?" Jiraiya asked.

Sakura nodded. "Hai."

After Jiraiya left, Sasuke banged his fist against a locker close to the bench he was sitting on with his good arm. "Damn it!"

Sakura sat next to him. "Sasuke…you fought well…"

"That's not good enough! Damn it! I lost for the second year in a row! I used to be able to win at least every other year!" he ranted.

Sakura sighed. "Sasuke…you gave it your best. I think you did great, especially when we told you not to fight with a sprained ankle."

Sasuke frowned. "…I wanted…you to see me win."

Sakura smiled a little. "You are a winner, Sasuke." She rested her head on his shoulder. "You'll always be a winner to me."

Sasuke slowly reached for her hand. "…thanks."

Sakura grabbed the first-aid kit on the bench. "Let's fix you up."

Sasuke chuckled. "Yes, doctor Sakura."

Sakura laughed. "Let's put your arm in the sling they left for you."

Back in the arena…

Naruto panted as he faced his final opponent, a fighter from Suna.

'Mother…father…Jiraiya-sensei…Hinata…watch me. This is for you!'

A final punch…

The crowd roared, cheering as loud as they could.

The man watching the match held up the arm of the victor. "Uzumaki Naruto is the winner!"

Minato and Kushina hugged each other tightly, tears in Kushina's eyes.

Hinata had her hands over her mouth, a big smile on her face. 'You did it, Naruto!'

Naruto grinned, looking out at the crowd. At his parents, his friends (including Sasuke who had walked out of the locker room just in time to see the ending of the match), and at his girlfriend. He beamed at her, waving excitedly.

Hinata waved back, smiling back at him.

Naruto was given a big trophy, which he held up proudly. He then walked off the mat and handed it to Jiraiya, bowing. "Arigatou gozaimasu, Jiraiya-sensei."

Jiraiya smiled and ruffled Naruto's hair. "You've done a good job, Naruto."

Naruto stood up and grinned.

"Naruto!" Said teen was suddenly glomped by his mother. "We're so proud of you! Your first competition win!"

Minato put his hand on his son's shoulder. "You did well, son."

"Father…mother…" Naruto looked at his parents and then he beamed. "Arigatou gozaimasu!"

"Naruto?"

Naruto looked behind Kushina to see Hinata standing there, smiling. Kushina smiled, letting go of her son and moving to Minato's side. Naruto walked up to his girlfriend.

Naruto opened his arms for her. Hinata hurried into his arms, wrapping her arms tightly around him. "I'm so proud of you." She whispered in his ear.

"Thank you, Hinata." Naruto whispered back in her ear.

Naruto's friends crowded around them, congratulating Naruto on his win.

That day, there had been winners and losers. But in the end, it didn't matter-because they all had something they fought for.

Review please!


	24. My Love

Disclaimer: Nope. Still own nothin'.

NARUxHINA FLUUUUUUF!

…sorry. Thanks for the 100+ reviews, people! I will update this in about a week, I have to go out of town for a while and won't have my laptop with me. So for now...Enjoy the fluff!

Chapter 24

My Love

After the gang went out to dinner to celebrate, they went back to their hotel rooms after midnight to get some sleep before driving back to Konoha later on.

Naruto was ecstatic. As he and Hinata approached their room, Naruto suddenly scooped Hinata up in his arms, holding her bridal style.

"Eek! Naruto!" Hinata giggled.

Naruto grinned and carefully opened the door while still holding her in his arms. He walked into the room, kicking the door closed behind them. He walked to his bed closest to the window and fell back onto the bed with her, the two of them laughing. They smiled at each other, so close that their noses were almost touching. They closed their eyes, pressing their foreheads together.

"I love you so much, Hina-chan."

Hinata blushed, suddenly super aware of the ring on her right ring finger. "I love you, too, Naruto." She opened her eyes. "…Naruto? When did you fall in love with me?"

Naruto opened his eyes, looking straight into her eyes. "The first time I saw you…I knew you were beautiful. The first time I saw you smile…I knew I liked you. But when I saw you perform your solo at that first concert…when I saw how much emotion you put into it…that's when I knew…that I loved you, Hinata."

Hinata's eyes widened, tears welling up in her eyes. A single tear fell down her cheek.

Naruto wiped it away with his thumb, cupping the side of her face in his hand. "Why are you crying? Was it something I said?" he frowned, worried.

Hinata shook her head. "N-no, that's…not it. It's just…I can't believe you've really loved me for so long."

Naruto smiled a little. "When did you fall in love with me, Hinata?"

Hinata sniffled a little. "Well, I had a crush on you right after you saved me from those bullies. But…the first time you told me I was a good dancer at the Halloween dance…and you danced with me…that's when I knew…that I loved you, Naruto."

Naruto put his hand on her head and ruffled her hair, smiling. "You're amazing, Hina-chan." He moved so that he was laying next to her and put his head on her chest, making her blush.

"N-Naruto!"

Naruto closed his eyes. "Soft…"

Hinata's head was whirling. Naruto's head was on her chest…he said soft…did he mean her breasts? Wait, why was he doing this? She had to calm down, calm down…

"Eh? Hinata? Hinata!"

Hinata had fainted.

Naruto sat up and laughed a little. She hadn't done that in front of him in a long time. He picked her up and put her on her bed, kissing her forehead before walking back to his bed and sitting down before watching TV.

A couple minutes later, Hinata woke up. She blushed, remembering what had happened. She had fainted in front of Naruto for the first time in a long time. She looked to the bed next to hers…and her face turned beet-red. "N-Naru…to…" she said quietly.

Naruto was leaning against the closed sliding glass door that led to the small balcony, looking outside, staring off into space. He was shirtless, with his green sweat pants riding low on his waist and his hands in his pockets.

She had never seen anything sexier.

Naruto looked at her and smiled a little. "Sorry, I was out of line."

Hinata shook her head. "N-N-No, i-it's fine, Naruto…"

Naruto walked to her bed and sat next to her. "Are you ok? Do you have a fever? Your face is really red." He put a hand on her forehead.

Hinata shook her head. "No, I just, um…" What, was she supposed to just blurt out how sexy he looked?

Naruto frowned. "Does me looking this way bother you?"

Hinata's eyes widened. She shook her head frantically. "N-N-No! Not all! It's just that I haven't seen you like this before, you know, and it's just different and-MMF!"

Naruto had leaned forward and kissed her. He pulled back a little. "Hinata…you're beautiful."

Hinata's eyes closed half-way as his breath fanned across her face. "Naruto…"

Naruto hugged her, running his finger through her hair. "…thank you. You gave me the strength to fight on…I thank you for that."

Hinata closed her eyes, hugging him back. "…Naruto…my love…"

Naruto smiled and kissed her forehead. "Go get in your pajamas and get some sleep, ok?"

Hinata nodded. She grabbed her clothes and changed in the bathroom. She walked out wearing a blue spaghetti-strap shirt with clouds on it and matching shorts that were pretty short, but not too short.

Naruto's eyes widened. "Hi-Hina-chan…"

Hinata blushed. "This was the only other pair of pajamas I could pack, the rest of my clothes hadn't been washed yet, so…"

Naruto shook his head. "You look beautiful." He smiled.

Hinata blushed, looking away from him. "Th-thank you."

Naruto yawned and walked to his bed.

Hinata walked to her bed, looking over her shoulder as he climbed under the covers. 'I can't believe I'm doing this.' She took a deep breath and exhaled. She walked over to Naruto's bed. "Naruto? Could I…sleep with you?"

Naruto's eyes widened. "H-Huh?!"

Hinata blushed like crazy. "N-Not like that! I meant sleep side-by-side…in your arms…" her voice trailed off a little.

Naruto smiled and nodded, lifting the covers for her. "Sure."

Hinata smiled shyly back and climbed under the covers next to him.

Naruto pulled her into his arms. "Hinata?" he murmured in her ear.

Hinata closed her eyes, snuggling up against Naruto's bare chest, able to feel his muscles against her body.

Naruto kissed her neck. "In a year, we'll be husband and wife." He smiled against her skin. "If you still want to."

Hinata smiled. "Of course I want to." She kissed his cheek. "I can't believe we'll be in our last year of high school in the fall."

Naruto nodded. "And then graduation…" he smiled at her. "…and then a proposal."

Hinata smiled back at him. "And then a wedding."

Naruto nuzzled his nose against hers. "And we'll do it all together."

Hinata nodded, nuzzling his nose back. "Yes, my love."

They fell asleep in each other's arms, getting the best night's sleep of their life.

Again, a reminder, the ring is like a promise ring, it symbolizes that one day Naruto will actually propose to her and that she'll say yes. Sorry if that's a little confusing. Meh. Review please!


	25. Passion

Disclaimer: This is getting old. Still don't own it.

Now it's SasuSaku fluff time! Enjoy!

Chapter 25

Passion

The second the door was closed behind them when they got back to their hotel room after the party with the others, Sasuke pushed Sakura up against the wall, kissing her passionately.

Only a little surprised, Sakura kissed back, wrapping her arms around his neck.

Sasuke slid his hand up under her shirt, inching closer and closer to her chest.

"Wait. Sasuke." Sakura said between kisses. He didn't stop. "Damn it, Sasuke, hold on!"

Sasuke dropped his hand, giving her a confused look. "What?"

Sakura looked at his arm. "…you shouldn't be doing too much."

Sasuke looked at his arm and sighed. "Jeez, Sakura, you really know how to kill a mood." Sasuke walked to the bed they'd been using.

Sakura put her hands on her hips. "Excuse me for caring about you."

Sasuke looked away from her. "It's not like I broke it. I'm an athlete. You get up and shake it off. Whatever."

"What is your problem? Ever since yesterday afternoon, you've been going back to the Sasuke I knew before we started going out. What the hell is up with that, huh?" Sakura demanded.

Sasuke stood up abruptly. "I'm not doing this." He walked toward the door.

"Sasuke! Wai-hey!" She had ran to stop him, but he shrugged her off his good arm. He then proceeded to open the door and slam it behind him.

Sakura fell to her knees, covering her face with her hands, tears starting to fall. What had she done to lose the Sasuke she had fallen in love with?

Sasuke walked down to the hotel lobby and collapsed in a chair, sighing, tilting his head back.

A few minutes later, somebody walked up to him. "You know, when you two yell at each other, you're loud. It's been like that since elementary school." Kiba said.

Sasuke didn't look at him. "It's none of your business, Kiba."

"Admit it, you're not mad at her. You're mad because you lost in front of her."

That did it. Sasuke snapped. He stood up and grabbed Kiba by the collar of his shirt. "Shut. Up." He growled.

Kiba's face was expressionless. "I'm right though, aren't I? Plus, you got hurt twice. I bet it still hurts to walk with that ankle, too. And your arm is still in a sling."

"Shut up!"

"Or what? You'll kick my ass? I'm sure that would make Sakura upset."

After a moment of glaring at him, Sasuke let Kiba go, looking away from him.

Kiba sighed. "Look, I didn't come down here to screw with you, ok?"

"Then why DID you come down here?" Sasuke said angrily.

Only now did Kiba show some emotion: he smiled a little. "Too remind you about something. Remember that time in elementary school when we all played ninja and Sakura tripped in the sandbox and scraped her knee?"

Sasuke didn't look at him, remembering. "Yeah? What about it?"

"Who was the first person to help her out?"

"…me."

"Do you remember you two fought over her going to the nurse's office? She wanted to look tough and go wash it off herself but you insisted she go get a band-aid. She always tried to look so strong in front of you. Yeah, she started out as a bit of a 'fan-girl', but you two got closer and closer. And look at you now-no one saw this coming. What I came down here to say, was get your head out of your ass and go back to her. You're already her knight in shining armor, win or lose." Kiba then turned to walk away. "See you later." He then walked to the elevators and went back to his room.

Sasuke waited a couple minutes, looking at his arm in the splint. All he could see in his mind was that little girl protesting going to see the nurse with tears in her eyes and blood on her knee. He stood up and walked to the elevator. When he got to their room, he raised his hand to knock on the door, having forgotten his key. But just before he knocked, the door opened.

Sakura's eyes were red from crying. She had changed into a pair of gray sweatpants and a blue t-shirt that looked a little too big on her-one of Sasuke's shirts he had given to her one night after spending the night together. She frowned. "I…I was just going to go look for y-MMF!"

Sasuke had stepped forward and kissed her softly. He pulled back a little, touching her cheek lightly. "…I didn't want to lose or get hurt in front of you. I'm not mad at you. You didn't do anything wrong."

Sakura blinked, eyes wide in shock. It was rare for him to just come right out and apologize like that.

Sasuke walked into the room, causing her to back up so he could close the door. "You've been crying." He stated, able to tell from looking at her eyes and the tear streaks on her cheeks.

Sakura sniffled a little, wiping her eyes with the back of her hand. "So?"

Sasuke did something he rarely did around others, but mostly with her He smiled. But only a little bit. He then pulled her into his arms, holding her close to him.

Sakura slowly wrapped her arms around him, returning the hug.

They stood there like that for a while. Sasuke finally broke the silence. "…I told you before, didn't I?"

Sakura looked at him, confused.

Sasuke smiled a little more.. "Win or lose, you're my prize."

Sakura blinked, then smiled, remembering. "And what are you going to do with your prize?"

Sasuke chuckled, leaning forward so his lips were brushing against her ear as he spoke. "All kinds of things."

Sakura closed her eyes. "Like? Eek! Sasuke!"

Sasuke had pushed her back onto the bed and climbed on top of her. "Like this." He kissed her neck, leaving a hickey.

Sakura gasped. "Sasuke! There others will see that!"

Sasuke shrugged. "Don't care right now." He kissed her passionately, moving his hands downward.

Clothes went flying and limbs tangled together.

A while later, Sakura laid next to Sasuke with her head on his bare chest. "Think we were too loud?"

Sasuke shrugged. "If anybody gives us crap, we'll just ignore them." He looked at the ceiling, one hand behind his head. "I'm glad we could do that without my arm getting in the way."

Sakura smiled and kissed his arm. "There-I kissed it, now that will make it all better."

Sasuke chuckled. "Cute."

Sakura stuck her tongue out at him playfully. "Meanie."

"Childish."

"Boring."

Sasuke smirked. "Sexy."

Sakura giggled. "Hot."

"Beautiful."

"Amazing."

Sasuke pulled her closer to him. "Mine."

Sakura felt butterflies fluttering around in her stomach. "S-Sasuke…"

Sasuke brushed his lips against his lover's lips. "Sakura."

They shared a sweet kiss before drifting off to sleep in each other's arms.

Review please! Next chapter skips to after the end of the school year and…BEACH TRIP! This time at a more appropriate time. Haha. Hope ya liked this!


	26. Summer Break!

Disclaimer: ((takes a deep breath)) STILL DON'T OWN IT! ((exhales)) Ok, I'm good.

To the beach! Again! Enjoy!

Chapter 26

Summer Break!

"Uwaah! It's so nice!" Hinata smiled as she got out of Naruto's car, looking at the ocean. It was sunny and hot with a nice cool breeze. Hinata and pals grabbed all their beach gear before walking across the already warm sand and picking a spot to set up their umbrellas and such.

Naruto and Sasuke put two umbrellas in the sand while the girls laid out two large blankets and some towels for all of them to sit on. Shikamaru and Chouji dragged the two ice chests across the sand and put them side-by-side under one of the umbrellas.

Sakura smiled at their set-up with her hands on her hips and nodded in approval. "Awesome." She looked at the ocean. "Well, I'm going in." She took off her dark blue cover-up dress.

Sasuke stared at her. 'Damn.' His girlfriend wore a pink and black bikini with a pattern of small hearts on the top and a larger heart at the corner on the bottoms. She kicked off her sandals and looked at the other girls. "Am I going alone?"

Temari shook her head. "No way. It's too friggin' hot NOT to go swimming." She took off her shirt and shorts, making Shikamaru's eyes widen in surprise. She wore a deep purple bikini and let her hair down. "Alright, who else is going with?"

"Me, for sure." Ino said, taking off her capri pants and tank top. Chouji stared at her with wide eyes. He thought that he was the luckiest guy in the world. Ino smiled at him. She wore a red and white stripped bikini.

Naruto had never seen Hinata in anything more revealing than her pajama top and pajama shorts. So when she nervously took off her sundress to reveal a lavender bikini that showed some cleavage, he got a small nosebleed. He quickly hid it before the others could notice. However, Hinata noticed and blushed. She only wore this swimsuit because the other girls had taken her shopping and insisted that she buy it. She didn't want to be rude, so she had decided to wear it.

"Alright, let's go!" Ino said over her shoulder as she ran towards the water. The other girls chased after her, except Hinata who walked slowly, admiring how the water sparkled from the sunlight. She smiled, inhaling the salty sea air as the wind blew her hair around her.

Naruto watched in amazement, thinking she never looked more beautiful.

Sasuke smirked. "Don't go getting pervy thoughts, Naruto."

Naruto's face turned slightly red. "Sh-shut up!"

Sasuke chuckled. He stood up and took off his shirt, already in his dark blue swim trunks. "See ya." He walked to the ocean to join the girls.

By now, all four girls had reached the water. Ino, Sakura, and Hinata played a game of running into the water, squealing, running back to dry land, and then repeating the process all over again. Temari watched, smiling at her friends' silliness.

Sasuke walked past her. He walked up behind Sakura, suddenly picking her up, spinning around, making the young girl scream at first before laughing when she realized it was him.

The other girls laughed at their behavior.

Sasuke put her down and she turned around. She wrapped her arms around his neck and they shared a passionate kiss.

The others looked away to give them some privacy.

Hinata blushed, getting suddenly shy as she saw a shirtless Naruto in orange swim trunks walking towards her with a smile on his face.

Naruto walked up to her, little space between them. He ran his fingers through her hair with one hand, holding her hand with his other hand, entwining their fingers together.

Hinata closed her eyes as Naruto leaned closer to her ear and whispered, "You look so beautiful." She blushed. "R-Really? It's not too embarrassing?"

Naruto blinked, then laughed. "No! Of course not! In fact…" he leaned close to her ear again. "…you look pretty hot." A small blush was on his cheeks when he realized what he said.

Hinata blushed bright red. "N-Naruto…"

Naruto hugged her, both of them blushing as her chest pressed against his. Had her boobs always been that big? "I love you-with all my heart."

Hinata smiled and wrapped her arms around him. "As do I, Naruto."

Naruto pulled away from her, smiling. He held her hand in his hand. "Let's join the others."

Hinata smiled and nodded. "Yes."

While the six of them splashed around in the water, Chouji and Shikamaru chilled under the umbrellas.

"Why don't you join them?" Chouji asked.

Shikamaru yawned. "You kidding? This is a great time to take a nap." He laid down on a blanket, closing his eyes.

"…when did you tell Temari-san you loved her?"

Shikamaru was silent for a moment. "…I still haven't."

"But, you do, don't you?" Chouji asked, surprised.

Shikamaru sighed. "Yeah."

"Then why not tell her?"

"What about you and Ino, huh?"

Chouji was silent for a moment. "…I'm going to tell her on our next date."

Shikamaru suddenly stood up.

"Shikamaru?" Chouji asked, confused.

Shikamaru marched his lazy ass down to the shore.

Temari smirked. "Finally decided to join u-MMF!" Shikamaru had pulled her to him, kissing her passionately. When he pulled back, he practically shouted, "I love you, Temari!"

Temari blinked, shocked. "Shikamaru…" A smile slowly spread across her face. "I love you, too." She hugged him.

Shikamaru hugged her back, resting his forehead against her shoulder.

The others smiled at them.

Hinata remembered something. "Oh, we forgot sunscreen."

The group walked back to where Chouji sat munching on a small bag of chips. Ino sat next to him, putting on sunscreen.

As Sakura struggled to reach her back, Sasuke sighed and took the bottle of sunscreen from her. "Just ask for help, dummie."

Sakura pretended like his comment hurt her, pouting.

Sasuke chuckled and kissed her pouting lips. He then put some sunscreen on his hands before applying it to her back. Sakura make an "eek!" sound as Sasuke casually slipped his hand down the back of her swimsuit bottoms when the others weren't looking.

Sakura playfully hit him on the shoulder and he chuckled. "Not here!" she said quietly.

Sasuke shrugged. "Can't help it." He gave her a seductive look, smirking. "You're too tempting."

Sakura blushed, looking away from him shyly. "You're such a flirt."

Sasuke chuckled. "Only with you, Sakura-chan."

Hinata applied sunscreen to her stomach. Naruto watched, never more turned on than he was at that moment. He and Hinata had agreed to wait until marriage, but times like these made him want to reconsider. Hinata finished and handed the sunscreen bottle to Naruto, smiling.

Naruto thanked her, applying sunscreen to his arms, legs, and chest. He reached for his back and frowned.

Hinata giggled. "Let me help you." She put some sunscreen on her hands before applying it to his back. She felt his muscles tense-and she knew why. She blushed. Was this really so difficult for him? She quickly finished helping him and wiped her hands on a towel. "There."

Naruto face her. "Er, Hinata, I left my cell phone in my car. Wanna come with me?"

Hinata nodded, clueless, smiling. "Sure." The two walked hand-in-hand back to the parking lot.

The others all looked at each other and nodded. "They're going to make-out."

When the young couple got to the car, Naruto unlocked the doors. "…Hinata."

Said teen looked at him, confused. "Yes?"

Naruto looked at her seriously. "Let's kiss."

Hinata blushed. "Ou-Out here?!"

Naruto opened the backseat door to his car. "No."

Hinata finally caught on. Well, the windows WERE tinted…She nodded, shy, and got into the backseat of the car.

Naruto closed the door behind him and locked the doors. He was hovering over Hinata, hands on either side of her head on the seat. He was looking at her with serious eyes. "Do you know what you did to me earlier?"

Hinata gulped. "N-No?"

Naruto kissed her neck, smelling the sunscreen on her skin. "You turned me on."

Hinata was blushing furiously at this point. "W-Where is all this coming from, N-Naruto?"

Naruto sighed against her neck, making her shiver. "I'm a guy, you can't blame me for being attracted to my girlfriend."

Hinata smiled a little, gently touching his cheek.

His eyes softened and he smiled a little back.

They then shared a long, sweet kiss that escalated into a full-on make-out session.

Naruto kissed her collarbone as they calmed down.

"Wow…" Hinata breathed.

"Yeah, wow…" Naruto breathed, running his fingers through her hair.

The two snuggled in the backseat of Naruto's car, Hinata snuggling against his chest. They stayed there for a while, laying there in silence, until they decided they should head back in case the others got worried. They got out of the car and Naruto locked the doors. They walked back to their friends, hand-in-hand. When they got back to their friends, they were all eating lunch.

Sasuke tossed Naruto two sandwiches and Sakura handed Hinata two sodas, smiling. "How'd it go?" She whispered.

Hinata blushed. "Y-You knew?"

Sakura smiled, nodding. "We all had a feeling you two would go make-out. Don't be embarrassed, it's not like the rest of us haven't done it."

Sasuke overheard and smirked. "Yeah, Sakura and I did 'it' in my ca-OW! What the hell?!" Sakura had smacked the back of her boyfriend's head.

"Don't go blabbing about THAT!" Sakura's face was beet-red.

The others looked at them strangely, having not heard the three teens' conversation, but just shrugged and went back to eating their lunch.

Hinata walked back to Naruto and sat next to him, handing him a soda, which he thanked her for. He handed her a sandwich and she thanked him.

As they all ate, Hinata watched the waves rise and fall, thinking about how almost a year ago she had been told she would be moving to Konoha, a place she had dreaded moving to just because she had just gotten used to living in the other town she had previously lived in. But then she met Naruto, and everyone else. They had changed her-her strength, her courage, her confidence…her voice. She didn't stutter as much. She was able to be more open about her feelings. And she was able to fall in love and tell that man just how much she loved him. Overall, she had become a better person-thanks to all of them.

They stayed at the beach until the sun set. They gathered their things and loaded up their cars. They drove back to their homes and said goodnight to one another.

The rest of summer break was spent going on road trips, going to water parks, more trips to the beach, going to fairs and carnivals and zoos, and consuming lots and lots of ice cream.

And before they knew it, it was time for school to start again-Senior Year.

What will happen this year, neh?

Review please!


	27. Back to School

Disclaimer: Me no ownie!

Back to school! Enjoy!

Chapter 27

Back To School

"Have a good day at school, you two!" Kushina smiled, waving at the two teens, Minato's arm around her waist, also smiling.

Naruto and Hinata waved back. "See you when we get home!"

Home…Hinata smiled to herself. She still couldn't get over how happy she felt when they said that to her.

Naruto held his hand out to her. "Well? Ya ready?"

Hinata smiled and nodded, accepting his hand. "Hai."

When they got to school, Naruto was attacked by Kiba, practically glomping the blonde. "WE'RE SENIORS, MAN!"

Naruto laughed, still holding Hinata's hand. "I KNOW! IT'S AWESOME!

Hinata smiled at them.

Kiba smiled at her. "Heya, Hinata!"

"Hello, Kiba-kun." She said.

The warning bell rang and they all hurried off to class after checking for their names and room numbers on the board in front of the school.

This year, Sasuke and Sakura were in the same homeroom, but the rest of their friends weren't. Sasuke sat in the desk behind Sakura's desk. He leaned close to her ear and whispered, "Did you check yet?"

Sakura frowned and shook her head. "We'll talk at lunch."

At lunch, the two of them snuck up to the roof after Sakura went to the bathroom, hiding something in her schoolbag. When she got to the roof, it was just her and Sasuke. Sakura pulled the stick out of her bag.

"Well?" he asked, uncharacteristically anxious.

Sakura looked at him. "Give it a minute! It doesn't tell you right away!" She looked back at the stick.

Sasuke sighed, running his fingers through his hair. "What if you are…you know…?"

"…would you leave me?" she asked quietly.

Sasuke stared at her in shock. "Of course I wouldn't." he kneeled in front of her, holding her hand not holding the stick. "Sakura-I love you. It would kill me to be away from the love of my life…" he put his other hand on her stomach. "…and our child."

Sakura felt tears in her eyes as she smiled. "Sasuke…" she looked at the stick and gasped. "Sasuke! Look!"

Sasuke looked at the stick. "…what's it mean?"

Sakura beamed. "I'm not pregnant!" she said quietly.

Sasuke smiled and picked her up, spinning them around in a circle and then setting her back on her feet.

"My period might just be a little late. Now we know to remember to check for a condom before we make love again." She said.

Sasuke nodded. "Agreed."

The two embraced, able to relax for the first time since Sakura's period was late. They walked back downstairs to join their friends in the cafeteria for lunch.

"So I know it's kinda early, but are we all going to the Halloween dance this year?" Ino asked, smiling.

Memories of last year's dance flooded Sakura's and Sasuke's memories.

Ino frowned. "Or…not…?"

They shook their heads. Sakura forced a smile. "It's fine. It's our Senior Year. We should go to the Halloween dance."

They finished lunch and went to class.

After school, the dancers went to dance and the martial artists went to the dojo.

Kurenai clapped her hands together to get the dancers' attention. "Alright, class, this new piece may be a little out of some of your comfort zones, but we're going to do our best, alright?"

The students nodded.

"Alright…oh, and I have an announcement to make." Kurenai beamed. "I'm pregnant! And yes, it's with my husband, Asuma's, child."

The class gasped and clapped. "Congratulations!"

"So I'll be picking two class 'assistants' to help from now on. Those two are Sakura and Temari." She announced.

The students clapped as Sakura and Temari high-fived each other, standing up to bow slightly. "Arigatou gozaimasu, sensei."

"Now then, let's begin!" Kurenai said.

From their opening pose, Hinata felt out of her comfort zone. This was different from any other piece she had ever been in-in fact, she had always avoided this kind of dancing, it made her feel weird-it was a dance with lots of 'sexy' poses and movements. And they would all be performing it in December at the Winter Dance Concert. She blushed. What would Naruto think?

After class, they changed back into their uniforms and went home.

Hinata got home before Naruto, so she went to her room and started on her homework.

When Naruto got home, he knocked on her door. "Hina-chan?"

"It's unlocked." She said, looking up from a textbook.

Naruto opened her door and closed it behind him, smiling. "How was dance?"

Hinata laughed a little nervously, sitting up. "Eh heh…I'd…rather not talk too much about it. Erm, Kurenai-sensei is having Asuma-san's baby." She said, trying to change the subject.

Naruto beamed. "Yeah! He told us at the dojo today!"

Hinata smiled. "I wonder what it's like…to have a child."

Naruto sat next to her, slowly placing a hand against her flat stomach.

She gasped. "N-Naruto…?!"

Naruto rested his forehead against her shoulder. "Someday…we'll have children of our own. They'll be beautiful-a part of both of us. And we'll all be one big happy family."

Hinata smiled, blushing a little. "…I like the sound of that."

They both sat there, imagining a little Naruto and a little Hinata running around the room, jumping into their parents' arms.

Their future…together.

* * *

Aw…a sweet ending to a new chapter. Next chapter skips to this year's Halloween dance. What will happen this time? Review please! (Sorry for this chapter's shortness, next chapter will be longer. I promise.)


	28. Fear

Disclaimer: The usual.

Drama, drama, drama…this scene is going to be even more dramatic and has (you've been warned) an attempted rape scene, more drama than the last Halloween dance, so you have been warned. Enjoy!

Chapter 28

Fear

The gang met up outside the gym on Halloween night for their school's annual Halloween dance. This year, they all decided to dress as ninjas. (All wearing their Shippuden clothes.) Even lazy Shikamaru and grumpy Sasuke agreed to join in since this was their last Halloween dance at their High School.

The music was loud and the fog machines smelled weird-just like every year. The group wandered inside, separating into smaller groups and couples. Some sat at tables and ate snacks and drank punch, while others hurried to the dance floor to dance.

At one point, Sakura went outside alone for air when Sasuke went to the bathroom.

"Hey, that's her." A voice said from a nearby tree.

"Yeah, that's who we're supposed to get." Another voice said.

"It's a good thing she's hot." A third voice said.

Sakura quickly turned around to find herself surrounded by three students from their school. She narrowed her eyes at them. "Who are you? And what do you want with me?"

One of the guys smirked. "Oh, all SORTS of things."

Sakura froze up at the way he said those words. "Sasu-MMP!" One of them came up behind her and covered her mouth with his hand.

"Shh, shh, shh, shh, shh…Be quiet now."

Sakura screamed against his hand as she was dragged behind the building, kicking and screaming to no avail.

Inside the gym, Sasuke was frantically looking around for Sakura. She hadn't appeared in over ten minutes. He asked if anyone had seen the pink-haired girl, but no one had, except Sai, who said he had seen her go outside earlier. "Damn it." He cussed under his breath. He ran outside, shouting her name. "SAKURA! WHERE ARE YOU?!" he heard some snickering from around the corner. He followed it to the behind the gym…where he saw a terrible sight that made him feel sick.

Sakura, tears streaming down her face, had her mouth covered with somebody's hand. Her shirt and bra had been cut straight down the middle-probably with the knife one of the three guys was holding. Her skirt was hiked all the way up and the shorts underneath had been pulled down to her ankles. One of the guys had her legs spread apart, his hands on her underwear, just about to pull them down. There were cuts on her breasts, stomach, legs, arms, and a cut on her left cheek, blood dripping out of the cuts.

If looks could kill, Sasuke would have taken a katana and cut them into tiny little pieces. "Get. Your. Hands. Off. Of. My. WOMAN!" One of the boys with the knife ran towards him. Sasuke charged forward, punching the guy with the knife in the stomach-hard. He caught the knife and put it in his pocket in case he decided to use it later.

The other two guys threw kicks and punches at him.

Sasuke dodged them all. 'This time, Sakura…I won't lose!' he kicked one of them in the head and grabbed another and flipped them, slamming them onto the ground.

"Damn it!" A girl's voice hissed from by a nearby tree.

Sasuke heard and grabbed the knife, throwing it in that direction. The knife caught on a girl's jacket sleeve. He squinted through the dark and immediately recognized the red hair. "Karin…?"

Karin gasped. "S-Sasuke! What are you doing here?!"

Sasuke walked over to his girlfriend, who was still in shock from almost being raped. He kneeled next to Sakura and looked at Karin. "Did you send those boys after her?" he growled.

Karin looked terrified, the coldness in his eyes sending a shiver of fear down her spine. "I-I did…but I, er…"

Sasuke walked up to her, grabbed the knife, and walked back to Sakura, putting the knife in one of the boys' hands. "Get out of here. NOW!" he snapped.

Karin "eeked!" and ran away. (Stupid bitch. Sorry. Please continue reading.)

Sasuke kneeled next to Sakura. "Sakura…"

Sakura slowly turned her head to look at her boyfriend's now worried eyes. "S-Sasuke…"

Sasuke frowned. Her voice sounded broken, like she had no hope left in her…Her voice was filled with fear. Sasuke reached out to touch her, but she flinched, moving out of his reach. She started to cry, just tears at first, and then full-on sobbing, covering her face with her hands. Sasuke scooted closer to her, but didn't touch her. "…can I at least hold you in my arms?"

Sakura kept sobbing, but nodded.

Sasuke pulled her onto his lap, holding her in his arms, careful to be gentle with her.

She cried and cried until she cried herself to sleep.

Sasuke picked her up and carried her bridal-style to his car. Along the way, he ran into a chaperone, who immediately freaked upon seeing Sakura's ripped clothes and the cuts on her body. "The boys who did this are behind the gym-I was able to knock them unconscious when they fought with me. I just found out that Karin put them up to it."

The chaperone nodded. "I'll take care of it immediately. Can you take of her, Uchiha-san?"

Sasuke nodded. "I'll get her cleaned up and take her to the hospital if I have to." He started to leave. "Oh, Kakashi-senshi? Can you tell Naruto what happened? And have him tell the others?"

Kakashi nodded. "Of course. If I don't see her in class tomorrow, I'll give her an excused absence." With that, he walked into the gym to find Naruto.

Sasuke carried Sakura to his car and carefully laid her down in the backseat, laying his jacket he had brought with over her, glad part of her shirt had hidden her breasts when Kakashi had found them. He drove back to his place. His brother had a night class that night at the college he attended, and his parents were on vacation for their anniversary.

Sasuke carefully got her out of the backseat, holding her bridal-style again, closed and locked his car doors, opened the front door, kicked it closed behind him, and walked to his room. He carefully laid her down on his bed. He hurried, grabbing a bowl of cold water, a couple washcloths, some towels, and a first-aid kit.

Just as he started to carefully dab at her cut cheek with a damp washcloth, Sakura gasped, waking up. "No!" She slapped him. When she realized who she had slapped, she gasped. "S-Sasuke! I-I'm so sorry! I thought…I thought…!" She started crying again, shaking.

Sasuke frowned. "Hey. It's ok. I deserve it for not watching you better, especially after what happened before…" he shook his head. "Sakura…let me get you cleaned up. Ok?"

Sakura sniffled and nodded. "O-Ok."

Sasuke started with wiping away the dried blood from her left cheek. He then opened the first-aid kit and got one of the bigger band-aids out to place on her cheek. It was a good thing Sakura's parents were also out of town on business for the rest of that week. (Coincidence. Meh.) Sasuke then carefully dabbed at her left shoulder and close to her right wrist where she had also been cut. He wrapped bandages around her shoulder and near her wrist. Next, he dabbed at the cuts on her upper-thighs before wrapping bandages around those parts of her legs as well. He then dabbed at the small four cuts on her stomach before placing band-aids on them. And finally, he dabbed at the cuts on her breasts. There was one cut on each breast-small ones, cut in diagonal lines between where her collarbone met her shoulder and the middle of her breasts. After putting band-aids on those cuts, he helped her take off her clothes and change into a pair of his boxers and one of his t-shirts.

Sakura lay curled up in a ball on his bed, eyes red from crying and tear-streaks on her cheeks.

Sasuke sat next to her, rubbing soothing circles on her back.

"Sasuke? Can we make love?"

Sasuke looked at her, surprised. "Where did that come from?"

Sakura frowned, looking at the picture of them that he kept on his bed-side table. "I want to erase everything those guys did to me. Those…horrible things…" Tears started to well up in her eyes again.

"Hey…it's ok." He gently turned her head so she was looking at him and kissed her softly. He got a condom out of the box in the drawer of his bed-side table and took off his shirt. "I'll be as gentle as possible, ok?"

Sakura sniffled and nodded. "I just want you to love me."

Sasuke smiled a little at her. "I already do."

With that, clothes were tossed aside and two people expressed their love for one another without saying a single word except the other's name.

That night, Sakura had gone through a roller-coaster of emotions-happiness, panic, fear, terror, shock, numbness, and finally…

…true love.

* * *

…yeah…Review please!


	29. Hot Chocolate

Ok, seriously, after 29 chapters, I've decided to start copying and pasting my original disclaimer.

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. Nor do I own the idea for the title, which is the name of an amazing song from 'Wicked: The Musical.'

This chapter skips to their winter break. Not going to do another Christmas Eve/Christmas chapter, but after this chapter I'm going to write a New Year's Eve, New Year's Day chapter. Again, going by how holidays and school days work here in America just because it's easier for me to keep up with stuff. So…yeah. Enjoy!

Chapter 29

Hot Chocolate

It was now the first day of Winter Break, and the city of Konoha had been given an early Christmas gift. When Naruto and pals woke up that day, they found that it had snowed the night before and was still snowing.

Everyone got a call from Ino declaring a snow day and organizing a meet-up at the park in Konoha that they had grown up at.

"Are you sure it's ok I go, Ino-chan? I mean, isn't it your guys' special place?" Hinata asked, not wanting to intrude.

Ino laughed. "Hinata, it's time to make new memories! You're our friend! We don't mind sharing our special place with you at all!"

And they didn't. When Hinata and Naruto got to the park, her friends assured her it was fine, smiling honestly.

"Ok, Yamanaka, you dragged us out here into the freezing cold-what is it you want?" Shikamaru asked, finishing his sentence with a yawn, obviously having just been woken up.

Ino grinned, holding something behind her back. "Snowball fight!" She chucked a snowball at Naruto, knowing he'd join in right away. The snowball hit Naruto right in the face, catching him offguard. Naruto blinked before grinning and snooping up some snow in his hands. "I'm in!" He threw snow at Ino, missing as she laughed, running away.

And so the snow ball war began.

Even grumpy Shikamaru and the most recent addition to their group, Hyuga Neji (who finally got the stick out of his ass and became their friend over the beginning of the school year), joined in on the fun.

It eventually turned into girls against boys, the girls behind the playground and the boys behind some benches.

After a half-hour of throwing snow at each other, the boys surrendered, surprised at how much energy the girls had, considering there were only five of them. (TenTen had joined their group when Neji had, since the two were dating. Yes, I ship that. Anywho, continue, please.)

The group then split up into smaller groups and couples.

Sakura laid down in the snow and started making a snow angel.

Sasuke watched his girlfriend, amused.

Sakura smiled up at him. "Sasuke?"

"Yeah?" he asked, hands in his pockets, leaning back against a tree trunk.

Sakura looked at the sky. "I hope we can all stay friends forever."

Sasuke blinked. "Where did that come from?"

Sakura shrugged. "Well, we're Seniors in high school. Some of us are going off to colleges in different cities. I just don't want us to lose touch with each other."

Sasuke had a feeling he knew where this was going. "…are you going to a different city for college?"

Sakura looked away from him, sitting up. "…my parents want me to."

Sasuke hit his fist against the tree trunk. "Damn it, Sakura! Why don't you tell me these things sooner?!"

Sakura frowned, standing up, brushing snow off of her pants and the back of her jacket. "I just applied yesterday. I'm not actually going. My parents just want me to."

Sasuke looked at the ground. "…do you want to go?"

Sakura took a step closer to him. "Sasuke…I'm not leaving you. I've waited to long to be with you, I'm not going to throw that away for something my parents want."

Sasuke narrowed his eyes at her. "You didn't answer my question. Do you want to go?"

Sakura sighed. "…yes."

Sasuke walked away without another word.

Sakura felt tears well up in her eyes. She ran back to her car and drove home.

"Now what did you do, stupid?" Naruto asked his friend as he approached the rest of their friends.

"Shut up. Leave me alone." Sasuke grumbled.

"What happened?" Kiba asked.

"…Sakura's not going to college in Konoha."

The others all looked at each other. "So…she finally told you?"

Sasuke stared at them, shocked. "You all knew before I did?!"

They nodded.

"She wanted our help on how to tell you." Temari said. "Stop throwing a tantrum, Uchiha."

Sasuke clenched his hands into fists. "Damn it. I'm going home." He walked to his car and slammed the door after getting in before driving back to his house.

The others all sighed.

"Guess that ends today's snow day." Ino frowned. "Hopefully they can work this one out on their own."

The others all nodded in agreement before going home.

Naruto and Hinata stayed after all their friends had gone home.

Hinata sat on a bench, looking up at the sky as it snowed.

Suddenly, a pair of hands covered her eyes. "Boo!"

Hinata giggled. "It's Naruto. I know your voice."

The blonde boy grinned, moving his hands away from her face, walking around the bench to sit next to her. "So what about you? Do you know where you want to go for college?"

Hinata nodded. "Here in Konoha. I know it will upset my father, but I really like it here-I don't want to move to another city."

Naruto smiled softly. "You really are amazing, Hinata."

"Huh?" Hinata asked, confused.

Naruto shook his head. "Nevermind." He saw her shiver and wrapped his arms around her. "We should go home-we're both cold and wet from the snow."

Hinata nodded. "Agreed."

When they got home, they both went to their rooms and individual bathrooms to take warm showers and change into warm, comfy clothes. They met up in the kitchen once they were done to make some hot chocolate. They then sat on the couch in the living room and watched a movie, sharing a blanket. As the movie end, Naruto and Hinata fell asleep together on the couch, arms wrapped around each other.

At Sakura's house…

"What do you mean you're not going to Suna for college?!" Sakura's mother asked, shocked.

"I'm not going. Most of my friends are staying here, I'm not going to leave them…"

"If this is about Sasuke then forget him. You need to focus more on your studies than boys, Sakura." Her father said.

"I love him!"

Sakura's mom raised an eyebrow. "Love? How would you know about love? You're only seventeen!"

"Just because you didn't meet dad until after you got out of college doesn't mean I don't know what love is!" Sakura replied.

"You've already applied. If you get accepted, you're going. End of story."

"No! I'm going to be eighteen! I can do what I want then!"

"Fine! Then when you're eighteen you can move out!"

Sakura gasped, taking a step back. "What…?"

Her mom's eyes widened when she realized what she had said. "Oh, no, Sakura, I didn't mean…"

"Leave me alone!" Sakura grabbed her coat and keys and hurried outside, rushing over to her car and quickly getting inside the vehicle. She slammed the car door closed, started the engine, and drove away from her house. She drove and drove until it was almost seven o'clock. She finally found herself in front of Sasuke's house. She pulled up to the curb and turned off the engine. She locked the doors and curled up in a ball in the driver's seat. 'Why is this happening?' she started to cry.

In Sasuke's room…

Sasuke walked to his window to close the curtains when he noticed a familiar car pulled up in front of his house. Sakura's car. He sighed. Now what did she want? He couldn't see into the car since the windows were tinted, so he eventually gave in to his curiosity, grabbed his coat, and walked outside to her car. He knocked on the window. No reply. He looked inside to see her curled up in a ball in the driver's seat with her face hidden behind her knees. He knocked louder on the window and she jumped, looking at the window.

She rolled down the window. "Sasuke?" she sniffled. "What are you doing here?"

"That's my line. You're outside my house."

Sakura frowned, looking away from him. "My mom…she…told me to move out when I turn eighteen."

Sasuke's eyes widened. "Why the hell would she say that?"

"…because I told her I didn't want to go to that college in Suna."

"And why would you go and say that?"

"…I told her I love you." Sakura said quietly, but just loud enough for him to hear her.

Sasuke blinked then sighed. "Come on. It's freezing out here. Come inside."

Sakura nodded and rolled up the window before getting out of the car and locking the doors behind her after she closed the driver's side door.

They walked into Sasuke's house.

Itachi was reading a book in the living room on the couch. He looked up from what he was reading and looked surprised. "Haruno? What are you doing here?"

"Sakura had a fight with her parents. Tell mom she's spending the night." Sasuke said. Before Sakura could say a word, he grabbed her hand and dragged her to his room.

Itachi blinked, shrugged, and went back to reading his book.

Once they were in Sasuke's room, Sasuke closed the door behind them, locked it, and finally let go of her hand.

"Spending the night?" Sakura asked, confused.

"I don't want you going back there if you guys are fighting." Sasuke stated simply, his back to her as he dug through his closet. He pulled out a pair of sweats and a t-shirt and tossed them to her.

"Thank you…but…I thought you were mad at me?" She said, confused.

"I am. But I'm not going to be a heartless boyfriend, either." Sasuke sat on his bed.

Sakura smiled sadly, looking at the floor. "Thank you, Sasuke. After not telling you and telling the others first…I don't deserve this."

Sasuke looked at her to see tears falling down her cheeks and onto the floor. He frowned and sighed, getting up and walking over to her. He wrapped his arms around her.

Sakura gasped. "S-Sasuke?!"

"Quiet. Just…let it all out. You can cry on me."

And she did. She put her heart on her sleeve and cried and cried until she couldn't cry anymore.

"…Better?"

Sakura nodded. "Yeah, a little. Thank you, Sasuke."

Sasuke pulled back a little so he could look at her. "I'm sorry for freaking out. I just…don't want you to leave."

Sakura smiled a little. "I don't want to leave, either, Sasuke."

Sasuke looked serious. "That's why…I'm coming with you."

Sakura's eyes widened. "Hu-Huh…?"

"I'm going to apply for that college in Suna, too. That way we don't have to be apart."

Sakura practically glomped him, the two of them falling back onto his bed. "Thank you!"

Sasuke chuckled, wrapping his arms around her. "You're so weird, woman."

Sakura smiled and kissed him.

Sasuke wrapped his arms around her waist and kissed back. When they pulled apart, Sakura got up to go change, but Sasuke suddenly pulled her back onto his bed.

"Eek! What the hell, Sasuke?!" Sakura asked, caught off-guard when he had pulled her back onto the bed.

"I'll help you get dressed." He smirked.

Sakura blinked then smirked back at him. "Are you sure that's a good idea?"

"Not really."

"Are you going to 'help' me anyway?"

"You bet your ass I am."

Sakura laughed. "Ok, then, dress me."

Once she was dressed, they laid back on his bed and fell asleep.

The next morning at Naruto's house…

Naruto woke up to find that he and Hinata were still laying on the couch together. He smiled at her and kissed her forehead.

She slowly opened her eyes. "Mm…huh?" She looked at Naruto and blushed. "D-Did we fall asleep here?"

Naruto smiled and nodded. "Yeah." He hugged her.

Hinata snuggled closer to him, hiding her red face against his chest.

Naruto chuckled. "I saw your dance the other day when I walked by the studio with Sasuke. I'm so proud of you, Hinata."

"Naruto…" Tears filled her eyes as she hugged him tightly.

Naruto panicked. "What's wrong? Was it something I said?"

Hinata sniffled. "No. It's just…nice…to be praised…especially from someone I love."

Naruto smiled softly. "Hina-chan…" he hugged her tightly. "…you mean the world and more to me."

Hinata closed her eyes, listening to the sound of his heartbeat. "I feel the same way about you, Naruto."

Naruto looked at the ring on her finger, smiling. Next year they would be engaged, and on their way to living the rest of their lives together. He kissed the top of her head. "I have friends, but I've always been the class-clown, the one people never took seriously. But you…you've turned me into a better person, Hina-chan." He tilted her head up so she was looking straight into her eyes. "Thank you."

Hinata smiled and kissed him softly. "…you've changed me, too, Naruto. I've always been shy and kept to myself…I'm still shy, but…you've helped me to grow and become stronger, more confident. So…thank you, Naruto."

The way her face lit up when she thanked him…he kissed her passionately, making her squeak in surprise, but she kissed back nonetheless.

They kissed until they heard somebody walking down the stairs, quickly pulling apart as Kushina and Minato walked downstairs. They glanced at each other and smiled, Naruto laughing quietly and Hinata giggling quietly. The made some more hot chocolate and spent the rest of the day watching movies and holding each other in each others' arms.

* * *

Yeah…this is the longest chapter I've written so far. And it has been brought to my attention with the lack of dancing and less of NaruHina, I apologize for this as I've been on this SasuSaku kick and have had NaruHina writer's block. Dancing and NaruHina will be returning as of the next chapter, I promise. Hope you guys enjoyed this! Review please!


	30. Happy New Year!

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. Nor do I own the idea for the title, which is the name of an amazing song from 'Wicked: The Musical.'

This is probably one of my favorite chapters because of the dancing part. Also, I have up to Chapter 36 already typed and ready to update, so I will update once a day from now on since I like having the next chapter ready to go. (Here's a heads up, one chapter is 11 pages of Microsoft Word (no ownership). LoL) Enjoy!

Chapter 30

Happy New Year!

Hinata and Naruto waited for their friends at Naruto's house where they would be having their New Year's Eve party.

Hinata put a bowl of chips on the kitchen counter. "So I know this party was here last year, but is it here every year?"

Naruto nodded. "Yeah, ever since middle school."

There was a knock at the door.

Naruto answered the door and smiled. "Hey, guys!"

Sakura smiled and Sasuke nodded in reply. "Hey." They entered the house and handed Hinata a tray of cookies they had brought with to contribute to the snacks.

Couples and singles entered the house until everyone was there.

They watched movies for a while until a song came on in a movie that made the dancers in the room smile.

"This is our duet song, Hinata!" Sakura smiled. "Let's dance!"

Hinata blushed. "N-now?"

"Yeah! There's plenty of room here in the living room!" Sakura said.

Their friends gave her words of encouragement. She smiled shyly. "Ok." She stood and she and Sakura started dancing from the point the song was at.

Naruto and Sasuke watched, amazed.

The two started off with a couple of fuetes, into a coupe pirouettes, and then into a pose before continuing.

Hinata closed her eyes, feeling the music. In that moment-nothing existed except she and Sakura, two dancers showing their emotions through their moments.

The duet was about a girl, Hinata, who had been constantly picked on and wanted to run away, and her friend, Sakura, healing her through dance. In the end, Hinata's mostly shaky movements became more controlled and her lines were more readable, showing that she was being healed.

Sakura closed her eyes every now and then as well, also feeling the music. Every step, every turn, every movement was how she would help tell the story of a wounded friend and the friend trying to help her learn to live again. This piece was important to them both because both were picked on as children. However, unlike Sakura, Hinata didn't have friends to stick up for her. So Sakura was happy to portray the friend showing her how to trust people.

Naruto watched Hinata in awe, watching every movement, every expression on her face. It only made him love her even more.

Sasuke never got tired of watching Sakura dance-although he would never admit it. He watched how much emotion she put into the dance, falling in love with her all over again.

The dance ended, and Sakura and Hinata bowed as their friends clapped.

Hinata hurried into her boyfriend's arms, embarrassed, hiding her face against his chest.

Sakura smiled at Sasuke, walking over to him. She sat between his legs on the floor and he wrapped his arms around her waist from behind her.

"You're amazing." Sasuke murmured in her ear, making her blush.

Hinata remembered the 'sexy' dance they had performed earlier in December at the Winter Dance Concert. Naruto had told her she did great, but she was still self-conscious. She wasn't as confident as Sakura, Ino, or Temari. Was she really a good dancer?

Naruto kissed the top of her head. "It's almost midnight."

Hinata looked at the clock at nodded. "Yes, it is."

As it drew closer to midnight, Sasuke looked at Sakura. "I applied to that Suna college. We find out towards the end of January, right?"

Sakura nodded. She leaned back against his chest. "I'll miss Konoha, but we can always come back here, right?"

Sasuke nodded, hugging her tightly. "Yes, we can always come back here."

"Guys! Let's count down!" Ino said, smiling.

"10! 9! 8! 7! 6! 5! 4! 3! 2! 1! HAPPY NEW YEAR!"

Naruto pulled Hinata to him and kissed her softly, wrapping his arms around her waist.

Sakura turned around and Sasuke pulled her to him, kissing her passionately.

Ino hugged Chouji and kissed him, smiling. Chouji smiled at her. "I love you, Ino." Ino felt tears of joy in her eyes. "I love you, too, Chouji." They hugged each other.

Temari grabbed the front of Shikamaru's shirt and pulled him to her, kissing him, making the young man chuckle as he kissed her back.

Upstairs, Minato kissed his wife, laying in bed with her. "Happy new year, Kushina."

Kushina hugged him. "Happy new year, Minato."

Their friends went home about an hour later, leaving Naruto and Hinata alone in the living room.

Naruto smiled at his girlfriend. "I never get tired of watching you dance. You're really good at it."

Hinata smiled a little. "Not as good as the others, though…I still have a long way to go."

Naruto's jaw dropped. "Are you kidding?! You're amazing, Hinata!" he smiled softly at her. "Have more confidence in yourself."

Hinata smiled a little more. "Thank you, Naruto." She walked up to him and held his hands in her hands, looking straight into his eyes-lavender meeting blue. "Naruto? I…I'm going to try my best, ok? Just…keep cheering on…ok? Please?"

Naruto nodded, leaning forward so that their foreheads were pressed together. "I promise." He kissed her nose. "My Hina-chan."

Hinata blushed, shy. "Thank you, Naruto."

It truly was a Happy New Year…a new year to laugh, to cry, to smile, to dance, to fight…

…a new year to love.

Short and sweet. Review please!


	31. I'll Follow You Anywhere

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. Nor do I own the idea for the title, which is the name of an amazing song from 'Wicked: The Musical.'

I'm in this really odd SasuSaku mood…seriously, I'm already working on my second slideshow of them, so this chapter is for them. And the next chapter will be 100% NaruHina! Trust me! I already wrote that chapter and I'm excited for it! In the meantime…Enjoy!

Chapter 31

I'll Follow You Anywhere

It was now the end of January-time to find out if Sakura and Sasuke got into the same college.

Sakura waited in her room, anxious. She kept looking out the window for the mail truck every ten seconds it seemed. Finally the truck pulled up to her house. A mailman put some envelopes in the mailbox before driving away. Sakura hurried downstairs and outside to collect the mail. She ran back inside, going through the mail until she found it-the envelope addressed to her. The envelope that would decide if she moved to Suna or not.

"No…I want Sasuke to be here when I open it." She said to herself. She drove to her boyfriend's house. As she pulled up to the curb, she saw him grabbing the mail from his own mailbox. She got out of her car and locked the doors behind her. "Sasuke!"

Sasuke looked at her. "Did you get yours?"

Sakura held up the envelope. "Yeah!"

Sasuke looked through his mail and picked out an envelope identical to hers, holding it up for her to see. "Let's go inside and open them."

Sakura nodded. "Ok."

They walked inside Sasuke's house and he dropped the rest of the mail on the kitchen counter.

"Where's your family?" Sakura asked, noticing that the house was quiet.

"Itachi's at school and my mom went with my dad on a business trip." Sasuke said as they walked upstairs to his room.

They sat on his bed.

Sakura bit her lip. "…I'm nervous."

Sasuke put a comforting hand on her shoulder. "It'll be ok. We'll open them together, ok?"

Sakura nodded, her hands shaking.

"One." He said.

"Two." She said.

"Three." They said at the same time, opening their envelopes and pulling the letters out of them.

Sakura's eyes widened.

Sasuke smiled a little.

"I GOT IN!" Sakura shouted.

"Me, too." Sasuke said.

They showed each other their letters.

Sakura tackled Sasuke onto his bed, giggling. "We both made it in!"

Sasuke chuckled and hugged her. "So that only leaves one more question."

Sakura pulled back, confused. "What's that?"

Sasuke held her hands in his hands. "Will you live with me in Suna, Sakura?"

Sakura gasped. "Move in…with you?"

Sasuke nodded.

Sakura smiled. "YES!" She hugged him again.

Sasuke pulled back a little, looking straight into her eyes. "I'll follow you anywhere, Sakura."

Sakura blushed, eyes half-closed as they leaned closer to each other. "And I'll follow you anywhere, Sasuke."

Their lips met in a gentle, sweet kiss.

Sasuke suddenly smirked against her lips. "We should celebrate."

Sakura looked at him. "How?" She asked, obviously not getting the hint.

Sasuke rolled his eyes. "I swear, you can be so dense sometimes." He leaned forward and captured her lips in a slow, gentle kiss.

Sakura, figuring it out, smiled and closed her eyes, kissing him back. She opened her eyes when he pulled back. "Don't stop." She said, breathless.

Sasuke chuckled. "Wouldn't dream of it." He kissed her neck. He closed his eyes as he slid his tongue along her collarbone.

Sakura sighed, running her fingers through his hair.

Sasuke slid a hand inside her shirt, brushing his fingers across her stomach, making her giggle.

"Sasuke, that tickles!"

Sasuke chuckled again. "Oh yeah?" he began tickling her sides.

Sakura burst out laughing. "S-Sasuke! St-Stop!"

"Only if you say you'll stay the night."

Sakura laughed. "Ok, ok, I'll stay the night!"

He stopped tickling her, leaning back against the pillows on his bed, his hands behind his head. "You're fun to mess with."

Sakura stuck her tongue out at him and laughed. "Hey, can I use your shower? I forgot to take one before coming over here."

Sasuke smirked. "We could take one together."

Sakura blushed. "That only happened once!"

Sasuke shrugged. "You're point?"

Sakura rolled her eyes. "Honestly, sometimes I get the impression that you're obsessed with sex."

Sasuke was suddenly across the room, pinning her against the wall. "You really think that?"

Sakura blushed. "Um…yes?"

Sasuke kissed her roughly. "It's not the sex I'm obsessed with, Sa-ku-ra." He murmured in her ear. "It's you that's I'm obsessed with."

Sasuke's voice sounded so sexy she would have let him have his way with her right then and there. But she wanted to know more. "What do you mean?"

Sasuke kissed her neck. "I mean…" he lifted her shirt a little, brushing his fingers across her stomach. "…I'm obsessed with just being around you. Holding your hand, kissing you…I'd go crazy if we were apart for too long." He looked at her seriously. "Sakura-do you have any idea just how much I'm in love with you?"

Sakura blushed again. "Sasuke…" she nodded, confident. "If it's as much as I love you, then yes, I understand."

Sasuke held her hands in his hands, looking into her eyes.

'It's like…I'm being sucked in…' Sakura's eyes were half-closed.

Sasuke closed the space between them, kissing her passionately.

"Sasuke…wait." She put a hand on his chest to stop him.

Sasuke frowned. "What is it?"

Sakura looked away, blushing. "I just wanted to thank you. For Suna's college, for being there for me, for…everything."

Sasuke cupped her cheek in his hand, turning her head to face him. "I love you, Sakura." He leaned closer to her, kissing her forehead softly, his hands resting on her hips.

Sakura sighed, melting from his touch. "I love you, too, Sasuke."

The same thing was on both of their minds as they cuddled together: 'I'll follow you anywhere.'

* * *

Fluffy! Review please!


	32. Scholarship?

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. Nor do I own the idea for the title, which is the name of an amazing song from 'Wicked: The Musical.'

Time for some dancing! Enjoy!

Chapter 32

Scholarship?

"FIVE, SIX, SEVEN, EIGHT!" Kurenai clapped her hands.

Hinata and the rest of the highest advanced jazz class at the studio danced to an upbeat pop song.

Naruto sat on the far side of the room, leaning back against a wall, watching Hinata dance. (After getting permission from Kurenai.)

Once the class finished that section of the dance, Temari and Sakura showed them the next section.

Kurenai was now very pregnant, with a belly to show it, so she would write down choreography and Sakura and Temari would teach it.

"Ok, take a break." Kurenai said after a while.

Hinata walked over to Naruto and he handed her a water bottle. "You all look great." He smiled. "Especially you."

Hinata blushed. "I-I don't know about that."

Naruto ruffled her hair. "You're so cute."

Hinata smiled shyly.

"Ok, back to work." Kurenai said after a couple of minutes.

The class got back into their opening positions.

Naruto watched in awe as Hinata leapt and twirled to the music. She did a couple fuetes, then some pirouettes, tumbled to the floor, did two pirouettes as she stood, and posed.

As the dance went on, Hinata found herself getting more and more into the music. It was one of those moments where all that existed in that moment was her and the music. Finally, they finished the end of the couple of sections they had been learning and class was dismissed.

Hinata changed in the locker room into a knee-length flowy white skirt and a lavender T-shirt with a pair of sandals. She took her hair out of its ponytail and grabbed her dance bag before meeting Naruto in the studio she had been dancing in.

Naruto wrapped his arm around her waist, putting his hand on her hip. He smiled at her. "Ready to go?"

"Hinata-san! Wait!" Kurenai hurried after them as fast as she could, waving a paper in the air. "It's here!"

"What's here?" Hinata asked, confused.

Kurenai beamed. "The scholarship you applied for at that college in Suna!"

Naruto looked at Hinata, confused. "Huh?"

Hinata hid her eyes with her bangs. "Well…I…I can't afford college on my own…and the college has a really good dance program…"

"When were you going to tell me?" Naruto asked, hurt that she hadn't told him yet.

"As soon as I got the reply."

"It's a yes! You're going to Suna's university on a dance scholarship!" Kurenai said excitedly, handing Hinata the letter. "Congratulations! I'm so very proud of you!" she then walked back inside the studio.

Hinata looked at the letter, smiling sadly. "I don't know what I'm going to do." Tears filled her eyes, falling onto the paper.

Naruto frowned and nodded. "Alright then-it's decided. I'm applying and going to Suna with you." He suddenly grinned. "We'll be with Sakura-chan and Sasuke!"

Hinata looked at him, surprised. "But…your parents!"

Naruto shook his head. "They want me to be happy." He held Hinata's hand that wasn't holding the letter. "And I'm not happy if I'm not with you, Hinata."

"Naruto…" Hinata hugged him tightly. "Thank you."

And so, Naruto just barely applied before the deadline for Suna University.

And a week later, he got his letter.

"I GOT IN! YES!" he shouted, punching a fist in the air in victory. He picked up Hinata and spun around in a circle, the two of them laughing together.

Minato and Kushina hugged them both.

"We're so proud of both of you." Kushina smiled and Minato nodded in agreement.

Over the next couple of months, they all studied their hardest, all of them getting passing grades on their tests.

And then it was time for one of the biggest events of a Senior's High School life-PROM!

* * *

How will prom go, I wonder? MAJOR NARUHINA FLUFFINESS AHEAD! I apologize for this chapter's shortness. Trust me, the next chapter will be MUCH longer! So, you know what to do! Review please!


	33. Konoha High School's Prom!

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. Nor do I own the idea for the title, which is the name of an amazing song from 'Wicked: The Musical.'

Ok, forgot to put this in the last chapter, but…O.M.G.! IF YOU HAVE READ THE MOST RECENT NARUTO CHAPTER, PLEASE COMMENT IN YOUR REVIEW ON YOUR THOUGHTS OF IT! BECAUSE I AM TOTALLY FREAKING OUT! As my friend put it ever so nicely, Sasuke finally got the stick out of his ass. That's all I'll say if you haven't read it yet. Ahem, anyways, back to 'Dancing Through Life.'

SOOOOO excited for this chapter! Prom was one of my biggest highlights of my Senior year. Since I didn't get to graduate or go to my school's prom, my friends from another school in town invited me to their prom and it was amazing! Not sure if they do prom in Japan…but technically this isn't Japan, it's an AU version of Konoha, so they are having a prom. So, without further ado, Konoha High School's Prom!

Chapter 33

Konoha High School's Prom!

Hinata, Ino, Temari, and Sakura got ready in Hinata's room at Naruto's house.

"Oi, you girls done yet?" Shikamaru complained from the living room. Chouji, Sasuke, Shikamaru, and Naruto waited for their dates in the Uzumaki's living room.

"Shut up, lazy." Temari called from Hinata's room, still using her nickname for him after all the time they had been together.

"What takes girls so long, anyway?" Shikamaru yawned.

The other boys shrugged.

"Ok, they're ready!" Kushina said excitedly outside Hinata's room.

The boys stood from their spots on the couch and looked toward the hallway.

First, Ino walked down the hall, wearing a blue dress that complimented her eyes with spaghetti straps that hugged all her curves. She wore matching heels and had her hair down, out of its usual pony tail, with some makeup on. Chouji smiled, holding his hand out to her and kissing it, making her blush and smile. The two moved out of the way for the next girl.

Second was Temari, wearing a black dress similar to Ino's with a slit up the side that stopped at her knee. She wore matching heels, her hair in its normal style, and a little makeup on. Shikamaru's eyes widened. If he wasn't awake yet, he was definitely awake now. He held his hand out to Temari and she took it, smiling. They walked over to the door where Ino and Chouji stood.

Next was Sakura, wearing a strapless black dress that fanned out at her knees (Mermaid-style, my dress was that kind of style. Ahem, sorry, please continue reading.) with a hot pink ribbon tied around her waist with a hot pink bow in the back. She wore hot pink heels with some makeup, her short hair down like it always was. Sasuke walked towards her, offering his arm to her. She took his arm and smiled when he kissed her cheek. They walked to the others and turned to see the last of the girls walk down the hallway and into the living room.

Naruto's breath caught in his throat.

Finally, Hinata walked into the living room, blushing and looking shy like always. She wore a lavender dress with spaghetti straps, not extremely poofy, but just a little so that it had an obvious 'poof' to it. She wore silver heels and some makeup, her long hair up in a bun with some hair loose and hanging down at the sides of her face.

Naruto walked towards her slowly, looking at her from head to toe. "Hinata…you look…wow."

Hinata looked at the floor. "I-I've never dressed like this before…"

Naruto smiled softly, holding her hands in his hands. "Hey."

She looked up at him shyly.

He leaned forward and kissed her forehead. "You look beautiful, Hina-chan."

Hinata blushed. "Naruto…"

Naruto offered his arm to her. She smiled and took his arm, walking to the door with the others.

The boys all gave their dates wrist corsages.

"Picture time!" Kushina said, whipping out a camera.

"Mom!" Naruto complained. "The limo will be here any minute!"

"Young man, my son only gets one prom, we're taking pictures." Kushina said sternly.

Minato looked at Naruto and nodded as if to say 'Just do it so she's happy.'

Naruto sighed and nodded back. "Ok, ok."

They did couples pictures, girls pictures, boys pictures, and a group picture of all of them together. They then said good-bye to Naruto's parents and walked outside just as the white limo got there. They piled into the limo and were on their way to the fanciest hotel in Konoha for their prom!

Once they arrived at the hotel, they got out of the limo and walked inside with other students ready for prom. First, they went into a large banquet room for dinner. After that, they climbed a staircase to the hotel's ballroom.

Whenever there was an upbeat song, they would get into their group with the rest of their friends and dance together. When there was a slow song, they would split up and dance with their dates.

A slow song came on and they split up to dance with their dates.

Chouji and Ino smiled at each other as they danced.

"Ino, I don't think I've ever been this happy." Chouji admitted.

Ino giggled. "I'm glad." She leaned forward and kissed him. "Thanks for being my date."

Chouji smiled. "That's my line."

Shikamaru twirled Temari at the beginning of the slow song and pulled her into his arms. "Did you check in?" She asked.

Shikamaru nodded. "Yeah. I already told the others. Turns out Sasuke and Sakura are staying here, too."

"What did the others say?"

"Well, Chouji and Ino didn't say anything, just shrugged and kept dancing. Naruto nodded and I saw Hinata blush when she figured it out."

Temari laughed. "Well, it's good our friends don't judge. My parents and Sakura's parents think Sakura and I are spending the night at Ino's-she said she'd cover for us, right?"

Shikamaru nodded. "Yeah."

Temari rested her head against his chest as they danced, closing her eyes. "I'm glad we decided to come tonight-I'm having a lot of fun."

Shikamaru kissed her forehead. "Me, too, Temari, me, too."

Sasuke kissed Sakura's cheek as they danced.

"This night is so perfect." She smiled.

"And it's only going to get better." Sasuke murmured in her ear, making her close her eyes and sigh.

"Sasuke…" she smiled, hugging him tightly.

He hugged her back tightly, as well. "You're so beautiful, Sakura."

Sakura blushed a little, leaning against his chest. "You clean up pretty nice, yourself."

Sasuke chuckled. "Thanks."

Naruto kissed Hinata's forehead. "Hinata-I'm glad I saw you that day."

Hinata smiled. "I'm glad you stood up for me."

The two shared a shy, sweet kiss as the song ended.

They continued to laugh, to smile, and to dance until it was finally time to announce the prom king and queen and their runner-ups.

"The runner-ups are…Uzumaki Naruto and Hyuga Hinata!"

Hinata's eyes widened. "R-Really?"

Naruto beamed, holding her hand and pulling her to the stage at the front of the room. They were given a crown and tiara, being given the title of the prince and princess of the prom as people cheered. (Can't really remember how this works, since I wasn't really paying attention because I didn't know the people who won, so I'm making this up as I go along. Sorry, please continue reading.)

"And finally, the King and Queen of Konoha High School's Prom…Uchiha Sasuke and Haruno Sakura!"

Sakura gasped, eyes wide.

Sasuke held her hand and smiled a little at her, still not one to really smile in public, as he pulled her to the front of the room. They were given crowns as people cheered for them. Sasuke then pulled her to him and kissed her in front of everyone.

Kiba whistled and their other friends laughed.

"Time for the King and Queen to have their dance!"

Sasuke led Sakura back to the dance floor, twirling her around and pulling her into his arms. Sakura rested her head against his chest as they danced, her eyes closed, listening to the beating of his heart. As the song ended, Sasuke cupped her face in his hands and tilted her head up so that he could give her a slow, gentle kiss.

The rest of the students cheered and began dancing to the next song.

Finally, it was time for the last song of the night-an upbeat song for everyone to dance to, to celebrate an amazing night.

As soon as prom ended, the two couples who weren't staying at the hotel said good-bye to their friends and walked back to the limo.

Once Naruto and Hinata were back home, it was almost one in the morning.

Naruto loosened his tie. "That was awesome!"

Hinata smiled and nodded in agreement. "Yes, it was."

Naruto unbuttoned the top button of his shirt. "I'm going to take a shower." He kissed her forehead before walking upstairs to his room.

Hinata smiled and walked to her room. She sat on her bed, looking at the orchid wrist corsage that Naruto had given her. She couldn't hold back a happy giggle. "Naruto…" she sighed, happy. She grabbed the hanger for her dress and a pair of pajamas before walking to the downstairs bathroom to take a shower herself. After she showered and wiped off all her makeup, she put on her long-sleeved PJ shirt and her PJ shorts (not really short, but higher than her knees). She carried the dress back to her room and hung it up in the closet.

She realized she had given her cell phone to Naruto to hold onto since his tux had a pocket on the inside of his jacket. She figured he was done taking a shower by now so she walked upstairs to his room. She hadn't been in his room a lot, so she always felt weird because it had been the first time she had been in a boy's room.

She knocked on his door. "N-Naruto? Do you still have my cell phone?"

"Yeah, come in." he called from the other side of the door.

Hinata opened the door to his room…and her eyes widened.

Just like that night in Suna, he was leaning against a wall, looking out the window, shirtless and wearing a pair of dark green sweats that rode low on his hips.

She looked away from him, blushing. "C-Can I have my phone, please?"

Naruto frowned. "Does seeing me like this really bother you?"

Hinata shook her head. "N-N-No! I just…you're the only guy…that puts butterflies in my stomach…N-Naruto." She admitted quietly. "I feel like I'm not worthy enough to see you like this. I can't possibly be that lucky."

Naruto was suddenly across the room and pulling her into his arms, against his bare chest.

"EEP! N-Naruto?!" Hinata blushed even more, her face getting redder.

"Hinata…what are you going to do the day we see all of each other?" he murmured in her ear.

That did it. Hinata's face was bright red and "butterflies" fluttered around painfully in her stomach. "A-All of each other?"

Naruto kissed her cheek, running his fingers through her still drying hair. "I want you to be ready, Hinata. I don't want you to be scared."

Hinata closed her eyes and sighed as he kissed her neck. "N-Naruto…I've just never seen…never been…it's just…a little scary."

Naruto hugged her tightly. "You don't need to be. We still have time. Even if you want to wait a couple years…" he looked straight into her eyes, serious. "…I'll wait for you, Hinata. Because…" he kissed the palm of her left hand. "…you're worth waiting for."

Hinata felt tears in her eyes. "Naruto…" she hugged him. "…I love you. So, so much!"

Naruto hugged her back. "I love you, too, Hina-chan. With all my heart."

They sat on Naruto's bed, talking until six o'clock in the morning, eventually falling asleep together on Naruto's bed.

When Kushina opened Naruto's door about an hour later, she smiled at the two sleeping teens. Her eyebrow twitched when she realized her son was shirtless with Hinata's head on his bare chest. She stepped forward to wake them up, but a hand on her shoulder stopped her.

She looked over her shoulder to see Minato with a kind smile on his face, shaking his head as if to say 'let them sleep.' She sighed and nodded, quietly closing the door and leaving the two teens to continue to sleep, dreaming of each other.

* * *

Review please!


	34. Recap

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. Nor do I own the idea for the title, which is the name of an amazing song from 'Wicked: The Musical.'

This is just a little filler before the graduation chapter. Enjoy!

Chapter 34

Recap

June. One week until Konoha High School's graduation.

As Hinata and Naruto walked to school together, she looked at the place where he had rescued her from those bullies and smiled a little. 'My first time meeting Naruto.'

They walked to their homeroom and sat at their desks.

Hinata looked out the window, waiting for class to start. 'I can't believe almost two whole years have passed…since I moved to Konoha. I wonder…when did I begin to change? When I met Naruto? When I met Sakura? No…it was when I started dancing at Kurenai-sensei's studio. Dancing…it makes me feel free. In that moment, I don't care what people think of me-I don't remember the feeling of being told I'm no good. Dancing…is one of the main things that keep me going. The other things are my friends…' she smiled to herself. '…and Naruto.'

After morning classes, their group met at their usual table in the cafeteria.

Hinata smiled at all her friends.

Yes, this was where she truly belonged.

Sakura ate her lunch, sitting next to Sasuke. She thought back on their past, from elementary school to now. A memory from middle school popped in her head.

"_Sakura."_

_The twelve year old pink-haired girl turned to face the young Uchiha. "Yes, Sasuke-kun?"_

_Sasuke handed her a small box. "Here. Happy birthday."_

_Sakura blushed, still getting over being one of his 'fan girls.' "Thank you, Sasuke-kun." She accepted the gift and carefully tore off the shiny blue paper. She opened the white cardboard box and her eyes widened. "Sasuke-kun…you…!" She looked up, but he had already left. She frowned. She looked at the box in her hands. Inside the box was a keychain with a picture of them attached to it, a note next to the keychain. In the picture, Sakura was sitting on a swing set with Sasuke standing behind her. She remembered that day. It was a week ago and Sasuke had been dared to push Sakura on a swing during a game of Truth or Dare with their friends. 'That's right…Lee took a picture of us. He must have given Sasuke a copy of it.' She smiled._

_She took the note out of the box and read it to herself. 'Sakura, I couldn't think of anything else to give you, so…I hope you like this. Happy birthday. From: Uchiha Sasuke.'_

Sakura looked at her key ring in her purse, smiling at the keychain she had received from a very special person all those years ago.

Ino smiled at Chouji, remembering their first date.

_Ino smiled at the daisy Chouji had given her at the beginning of their date. As their date was ending, they got some ice cream._

"_Ino, there's some ice cream at the corner of your mouth." Chouji said, reaching forward to wipe away the vanilla-flavored dessert from the corner of her mouth._

_Ino looked into his eyes after he wiped away the ice cream. He cupped the side of her face in his hand. The two slowly leaned forward until their lips met in a gentle first kiss._

Chouji smiled back at Ino, holding her hand under the table.

Temari remembered the first time she met Shikamaru and smirked.

"_Hey, this is where brother builds his sand castles." A six year old Temari said, hands on her hips._

_A six year old Shikamaru rolled his eyes. "This part of the sandbox doesn't belong to anybody."_

_A young Gaara and Kankuro stood behind Temari._

_Shikamaru stood and yawned. "What are you gonna do? Fight me for it?"_

_Temari smirked. "Yep."_

_Shikaru flinched. 'What's with this scary girl?'_

Shikamaru had been remembering the same day. He chuckled. "You know, you really haven't changed, scary lady."

Temari laughed. "That's my line, lazy."

The bell rang and the teens hurried off to class.

After school, Naruto and Hinata walked home and went into Hinata's room to talk.

"I can't believe we're all graduating soon." Hinata smiled sadly.

Naruto frowned, confused. "What's wrong about that?"

Hinata sighed. "It's just that…we won't get to see everyone every day anymore. We're all going to be going down different paths."

Naruto put his hand on her hand, smiling softly. "Don't think of it that way-our paths will cross again. It's the start of a new adventure!"

Hinata smiled a little. "I guess you're right…"

Naruto suddenly tackled her into a hug, tickling her sides. "You bet I'm right!"

Hinata laughed. "N-Naruto! St-Stop!"

"Only if you say I'm awesome." He grinned.

Hinata giggled. "You're awesome! Now, stop tickling me!"

Naruto chuckled and stopped tickling her. "Thank you."

Hinata leaned against his shoulder and sighed, closing her eyes. "Naruto…I'm so happy."

Naruto smiled softly and put his hand on the top of her head. "Me, too, Hinata." He kissed the top of her head. "Me, too."

A week seemed to fly by, and before they all knew it, it was Graduation Day.

* * *

This story is almost over. ((insert sad face here)) After Graduation, there will be a couple more chapters, and then an Epilogue. So please keep on reviewing and cheering me! It makes my day when I check my messages and see all of your awesome reviews! You guys/girls rock! Review please!


	35. Konoha High School's Graduation

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. Nor do I own the idea for the title, which is the name of an amazing song from 'Wicked: The Musical.'

This chapter was hard to write because, as I said, I didn't graduate, nor have I ever been to a High School Graduation. So I'm writing this based off of what I remember from my Middle School Graduation. Also, sorry for making Sakura's parents assholes in this story, it just kinda happened. Please enjoy the graduation of Konoha's finest! Enjoy!

Chapter 35

Konoha High School's Graduation

Kushina sat on hers and Minato's bed, frowning, trying not to cry.

Minato sat next to her, putting a gentle hand on top of her hand. "They'll come back and visit."

Kushina sniffled. "When did our little boy grow up, Minato?"

Minato hugged his wife. "Sh…it's ok. Now, let's get going, they're waiting downstairs for us."

Kushina nodded, wiping a tear away from her eye. She forced a smile and nodded. "Yes."

As soon as the ceremony started, Naruto got nervous. Not because he was graduating, but because today had another important event happening. He felt under his gown for the small box in his pocket. He smiled. Everything would be fine, he just had to keep telling himself that.

Hinata sat next to Neji since everyone was seated in alphabetical order.

"You've really grown, Hinata."

Hinata looked at her cousin. "Neji…"

Neji gave her a small smile. "Don't forget to send me a letter every now and then, yes?"

Hinata smiled and nodded. "Yes."

"And now, we will hear from this year's valedictorian, Hyuaga Neji." Tsunade, principal of Konoha High School, announced.

Neji stood and walked onto the stage with a piece of paper in his hand. He cleared his throat and began his speech.

"Teachers, parents, fellow students, thank you for attending today to celebrate our accomplishments. When I started here at Konoha High School, I was alone. It stayed that way for a while, until my cousin arrived. Things began to change. Those who had once been my enemies became my friends, and one friend became something more." He glanced at TenTen and she smiled. He looked at the crowd of parents and students. "I've always been called 'the genius,' but my new friends showed me that I might be smart, but I'm still a person, with feelings and hopes and dreams and ambitions for the future. My goal is to one day return to this school and teach a class of my own, so that I may share what wisdom I have with others. Although some of us will be attending Universities outside of Konoha, I know we can always come back here." He looked at all of his friends. "Where there will be open arms to welcome us home." He glanced at the last sentence on his paper with his speech written on it. "In closing, I offer wisdom given to me by martial arts instructor, Jiraiya-sensi-"Remember the good times as well as the bad, those times will make you stronger." Thank you." He gave a slight bow as the audience clapped. Neji walked offstage and back to his seat. (I made that quote up-but it's true.)

It was then time to hand out the diplomas.

As each one accepted their diplomas, they shook Tsunade's hand and walked back to their seats.

"Congratulations to this year's graduating class!" Tsunade announced, smiling.

The students cheered, throwing their caps in the air.

"Hinata."

Hinata turned around to see Naruto on one knee in front of her, holding a black velvet box in his hands. She gasped, hands flying up to her mouth. She knew it was coming, but in all the excitement she had temporarily forgotten.

"I love you, Hina-chan. With every fiber of my being. And…I want to spend the rest of my life with you, holding each other, supporting each other, and overcoming our challenges together. So, for real now, I'm asking you-" He opened the box to reveal a silver band with a tiny diamond in the center. "-will you marry me, Hyuga Hinata?"

Hinata felt tears of joy in her eyes as she nodded. "Yes!"

Naruto grinned and slid the ring onto her left ring finger, taking the other ring off of her right ring finger and putting it in the box before putting the box back in his pocket.

Once that was done, Hinata practically glomped him, pressing their lips together.

Naruto's eyes widened in surprise, but he smiled and kissed her back nonetheless.

Sakura found Sasuke amidst the cheering students and walked up to him, looking nervous.

Sasuke frowned. "Sakura? What's wrong?"

Sakura looked up at him shyly. "Sasuke…I…I'm…" she pressed a hand to her flat stomach.

Sasuke's eyes widened, understanding. "Are you…Are you serious?"

Sakura nodded, wanting to run away. 'That's it-he's going to leave me, I just know it…Wha-?!' she was suddenly lifted off the ground and being spun around, held tightly in Sasuke's arms.

Sasuke put her down, hugging her tightly. "I love you so damn much, Sakura."

Sakura felt tears in her eyes. "You're ok with this?"

Sasuke nodded. "We started this together, so we'll get through this together." He placed his hand against her stomach. "For the sake of our child."

Sakura hugged him tightly, crying. "I love you!"

Chouji and Ino shared a sweet kiss, holding hands.

"C'mere, woman." Shikamaru wrapped an arm around Temari's waist, pulling her close to him. He kissed her passionately.

Temari smirked and kissed back with just as much emotion and force.

Hinata and Naruto walked to Naruto's parents. Hinata proudly showed them her engagement ring.

Kushina hugged both her son and her future daughter-in-law, crying tears of joy.

Minato put his hand on Naruto's head, ruffling his hair, smiling. "I'm proud of you, son."

Naruto grinned at his father. "Dad…" he looked at his mother. "Mom…" he squeezed Hinata's hand in his hand. "This is just the beginning." He kissed Hinata's cheek. "The beginning of the rest of our lives." He whispered in her ear, making her blush and smile.

Sasuke's and Sakura's parents were talking. Sakura held on tightly to Sasuke's hand as she gave them all the news. Sakura's parents stared at her before walking away, quiet.

Sakura frowned, feeling like somebody had ripped out her heart and stomped on it…until she saw Itachi grin.

"I'm going to be an uncle." The older Uchiha brother put his hand on his brother's shoulder. "Good luck, Sasuke."

Sasuke's dad looked a little shocked, but nodded in approval.

Sasuke's mother smiled. "Congratulations. You two will make great parents."

"This is great timing, anyway. Sakura." Sasuke…got down on one knee.

Sakura's eyes widened as she gasped. "Sasuke…you don't have to…!"

Sasuke shook his head. "I had decided before you even told me." He pulled a red velvet box out of his pocket, opening it to reveal a gold band with a diamond in the center. "I want to spend every day, every hour, every minute, every second, making you happy, Sakura. I want to wake up every morning to see your smiling face, and comfort you when you're sad. I've never been really good at this sort of thing, but…ah, damn it. Haruno Sakura, will you be my wife?"

Sakura smiled as she started to cry tears of joy. "Yes! I will!"

The two shared a loving embrace, holding each other close.

That day, two couples got engaged.

And that day, Sakura, Hinata, Ino, and Temari took off their graduation gowns and danced in the knee-length dresses they all wore, having planned it and wearing booty shorts underneath their dresses. They danced in front of the entire student body, singing a cappella as they leapt and twirled. They danced together, to celebrate, to remember, to live…

…as they danced through life!

* * *

Hooray! …NOPE, the story's not over yet! The next chapter is coming real soon, so sit tight and wait for the last chapters that wrap everything up before the Epilogue-you're in for a long read, let me tell you that, 'cause I don't think I'm going to divide it into two chapters. I will say now that ShikaTema and ChoIno may be mentioned in the next chapter, but they won't actually be back until the Epilogue. Thank you to all who review, favorite, and add this story to their alert list! Also, a HUGE thank you to those that have favorited me and added me to their author alert list! I'm so happy! Review please!


	36. Thank You

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. Nor do I own the idea for the title, which is the name of an amazing song from 'Wicked: The Musical.'

So, the SasuSaku wedding is before the NaruHina wedding because I wanted them to have their wedding before Sakura started to get really pregnant (so before she started showing). BUT! The NaruHina wedding has already been written and will for sure be the next chapter! So for now, enjoy the wedding between Sasuke and Sakura! Again, sorry for making her parents total assholes, it just kind of happened, so let's just say it's their AU selves, I guess. Now, without further ado…Sasuke's and Sakura's wedding! Enjoy!

Chapter 36

Thank You

A month after graduation, Sakura stood in front of the floor-length mirror at the Uchiha house.

"You look beautiful, Sakura-chan!" Ino gushed, excited for her friend.

Sakura smiled. "Thanks, Ino-chan."

Ino smiled a little. "Hey, you still have family, don't forget that." She hugged her friend.

Today was Sakura's and Sasuke's wedding day…but her parents would not be attending. They hadn't spoken since before the beginning of graduation. She had quietly moved out of her house and into the Uchiha's guest bedroom within an entire day, the once happy family ignoring each other.

But she shook her head, not wanting to think about that. Today she was marrying the man of her dreams. She wasn't about to let sad things ruin their big day.

"Ok! Time for gifts!" TenTen walked into the room, smiling.

Sakura walked into the Uchiha's living room where her bridesmaids waited for her and Ino, her Maid of Honor.

The bridesmaids and groomsmen were Hinata and Lee, TenTen and Neji, and Shikamaru and Temari. The Best Man was Naruto and the Maid of Honor was Ino.

The girls all beamed when they saw Sakura in her wedding dress.

Sakura's dress was a very light pink, close to white but not quite. She decided that since she wasn't a virgin anymore she wasn't going to wear white-all the guests knew that she was pregnant. The dress had lace along the hem and was poofy, but not really poofy, with a train. Her veil had a silver wreath around her head, that looked like something loosly braided. (My aunt had this, it was very pretty. Anyways, please continue reading.) Attached to that was a long see-through veil, the color matching her dress. She wore silver one-inch high heels and her short hair was down like always, with a little makeup on.

Sakura stood in front of her friends.

"Something borrowed." TenTen said, putting a silver necklace on Sakura-it was a silver chain with a silver star charm on it. "My mother gave this to me for graduating middle school. Take good care of it, yeah?"

Sakura smiled nodded. "Of course."

"Something new." Ino smirked, handing Sakura a hot pink garter.

Sakura laughed. "Wow, thanks." She turned around and slid the garter up to her left thigh. She faced her friends again.

"Something old." Ino put a hot pink fake flower on a clip in Sakura's hair. "A very important best friend of mine gave this to me in elementary school as a birthday present. I think it's time to give it back."

Sakura felt tears in her eyes. "Ino-chan…"

"Ah, ah, ah! No crying, you'll ruin your makeup." Ino smiled.

Sakura nodded, carefully wiping away her tears before they could fall.

"Finally, something blue." Hinata put a blue metal thin circular bracelet on Sakura's wrist.

Sakura smiled at all of them. "Thank you, everyone."

"Sakura? It's time." Sasuke's mother walked into the room, smiling.

Sakura nodded. "Ok." She took a deep breath and exhaled. 'Here we go.'

The wedding would be held in the Uchiha's large backyard.

Sasuke was talking to his brother in the backyard before the wedding started.

"Make sure you come and visit often, yeah?" Itachi said.

Sasuke nodded then smirked. "You need to hurry up and find a girl soon-your little brother is getting married first."

Itachi chuckled. "Guess I'm just looking for the right one-like you found yours."

Sasuke nodded. "Yeah."

"Itachi! Get over here!" Their mother called.

"Guess that means we're starting. Good luck, little brother." Itachi gave his brother a quick hug before quickly walking to the back door of the Uchiha house.

It was a small wedding, just Sasuke's family and all of their friends, including Jiraiya-sensi, Naruto's parents, Kakashi-sensei (their high school teacher that had always been there for them), and Asuma-sensei and Kurenai-sensei.

Music began to play as the bridesmaids and groomsmen walked down the aisle. The bridesmaids all wore light purple dresses in different styles, but all floor-length, and all the guys wore black tuxes with a red rose on their tux.

Next, the Maid of Honor and Best Man walked down the aisle.

Naruto looked at Sasuke as he stood next to him. "Good luck."

Sasuke nodded. "Thanks."

The wedding march then began to play.

Everyone turned to look as Sakura walked down the aisle, holding onto Itachi's arm.

'Wow…she's beautiful…although, I already knew that.' Sasuke thought to himself.

When they reached Sasuke, the two shared a quick hug before Itachi presented her to his brother. "Take good care of her, Sasuke."

Sasuke nodded. "I will."

Itachi walked to his seat and Sakura handed her bouquet of red roses to Ino.

The pastor began to speak.

No one objected to their marriage.

It was finally time to exchange vows.

"The groom will now give his vows."

Sasuke looked into Sakura's eyes, onyx meeting green. "Sakura. You know I've never really been good with this sort of thing, but still…when we met as kids, I was new in town at the time. But you were the first to approach me and ask if I wanted to join your group. We eventually became friends, and then throughout middle school, I realized I had feelings for you. When we got into high school, those feelings became known, and I've wanted to protect you ever since. I've hurt you in the past, and I want to apologize for that. But here we are now, on our wedding day. So I want you to know, I will always love you, no matter what, Sakura."

Sakura smiled, fighting back tears.

"And now the bride will give her vows."

Sakura looked at Sasuke, smiling softly at him. "Sasuke? I'll admit, I was one of your fangirls. From the moment I met you, even so young, I was attracted to you. But when I grew out of that, realized that I had a crush on you, and I mean REALLY liked you, not just because you were cute or a good martial artist. When we graduated from middle, I made it my goal to tell you how I felt when we got into high school. Once we started dating, I was so happy. And now I'm beyond happy. So…thank you, for letting me love you. You're everything to me, Sasuke."

Sasuke smiled a little at her, just enough for her to be able to tell.

They said their "I do's" and put their wedding rings on each other.

"I now present Mr. and Mrs. Uchiha." The pastor announced. "You may kiss your bride."

Sasuke lifted Sakura's veil and pulled her to him, kissing her passionately. She kissed back as their friends and family cheered, Kiba and Kankuro whistling loudly.

They pulled apart and Sakura smiled at Sasuke before hugging him. "I love you so much." She whispered in his ear.

"I love you, too." Sasuke whispered back.

Ino handed Sakura her bouquet before the newly married couple walked back down the aisle and into the house, followed by Naruto and Ino, and then the bridesmaids and the groomsmen. The group waited inside the house as the chairs were folded and moved to the side of the yard. A dancefloor had already been put on the grass before the wedding so there would be a place for them to dance. Tables were set up for people to eat dinner at. (They had caterers.)

Once everything was ready, Sasuke and Sakura walked back outside with their friends and everybody clapped.

They sat at a table next to each other, Ino on Sakura's other side and Naruto on Sasuke's other side.

After dinner, it was time for speeches.

Sasuke's parents went first. "Sasuke." His mother said. "You've found yourself an amazing girl. Please take good care of her."

Sasuke nodded, holding Sakura's hand under the table.

"Sasuke, Sakura? Listen to each other. Don't leave the other, and make the other happy." Sasuke's dad said before holding up his glass. "To Sasuke and Sakura."

The others held up their glasses.

Next was the Best Man's speech. Naruto stood, a grin on his face. "Sasuke, I told you I would embarrass you, right? Well, I sorta meant it." Naruto cleared his throat. "When I first met Sasuke, we hated each other. We were rivals in martial arts and I hated that he was more popular than me. But when I was struggling with martial arts one day, he took the time to help me-we've been friends ever since. So when I found out Sakura liked him, I wanted him to open his eyes and figure it out. When they started going out, I was so happy for them. Them going out encouraged me, as well." He smiled at Hinata, who blushed, smiling. "So, now some embarrassing stuff. Sasuke has a locket that he wears sometime under his shirt that Sakura gave him with their pictures in it."

"Naruto…" Sasuke said in warning voice.

"Oh! And his favorite color is green because it's the color of Sakura's eye-OW! Sasuke!"

Sasuke had punched Naruto's shoulder. "That's enough." He grumbled.

"Jeez…anyway…I couldn't ask for better friends." He smiled, holding up his glass. "To Sasuke and Sakura!"

The others held up their glasses.

And finally, the Maid of Honor's speech.

Ino stood, smiling. "Sakura? We used to be rivals when it came to Sasuke, but I'm glad you continued to like him, and then grow to genuinely love him. I gave up in middle school when I saw just how much you like him, and I'm glad." She smiled at Chouji, who smiled back at her. "Now, a couple things about Sakura."

Sakura started to sink down into her seat. 'Oh, no.'

Ino smiled. "Sakura still has a keychain Sasuke gave her in middle school as a birthday present. She also has the same locket that Sasuke has and wears it everyday, whether it's over or under her shirt. She also keeps pictures of them that she collects in a shoe box under her bed. Anything else, Sakura-chan?" Ino grinned.

Sakura was blushing like crazy. "Ino, you are in SO much trouble if you ever get married."

Ino shrugged, holding up her glass. "To Sakura and Sasuke!"

The other held up their glasses. "To Sakura and Sasuke!"

The chairs and tables were then put away, some chairs left out for people to sit on.

Ino walked up to the DJ they had hired and he handed her the mic. "The bride and groom will now have their first dance." She handed the mic back to the DJ as he played the song already set up.

It was a song that they had danced to their freshman year of high school together, called "I'll Be." (The Edwin McCane song. This is AU, so I'm using real songs.)

Sakura gasped. "You remembered?"

Sasuke nodded. He led her to the dance floor and pulled her into his arms.

Sakura put her arms around his neck and rested her head against his chest, smiling, closing her eyes.

In that moment, all that existed was each other, their dance, and the music.

"Sakura." Sasuke murmured in her ear.

"Hm?" Sakura looked at the rose on his tux.

"Don't plan on getting any sleep tonight." Sasuke said, smirking.

Sakura laughed quietly. "I wasn't planning on it."

Sasuke kissed her neck. "Thank you, Sakura."

Sakura blushed a little, surprised, not expecting that. "For what?"

Sasuke closed his eyes, keeping his mouth close to her ear so only she could hear him. "For approaching me that day. When I came to Konoha elementary in the first grade, I wasn't planning on making friends, upset that I had to move, wanting to rebel by not meeting anyone. But you were the first to approach me...and I never got to thank you for it."

Sakura smiled. "Sasuke..."

_"He-hello."_

_Sasuke looked at a little girl with short pink hair. "What do you want?"_

_The girl smiled shyly, tugged at the hem on her shirt, rocking back and forth on her heels. "Um, my friends and I were wondering...if you'd want to come and play with us?"_

_"No thanks." Sasuke said, looking away from her._

_"Aw, why not?" Sakura pouted._

_"I don't need new friends." Sasuke said._

_"But won't new friends make you happy?"_

_Sasuke's eyes widened. He looked at her. "You...you're serious?"_

_Sakura smiled and nodded. "Uh huh!"_

_Sasuke sighed, looking away from her and glancing at her out of the corner of his eye. "...I guess...I can try."_

_Sakura beamed. "Great!" She held her hand out to him. "I'm Haruno Sakura!"_

_Sasuke hesitantly accepted her hand. "I'm Uchiha Sasuke."_

_Sakura started to lead him towards her friends, giggling. "C'mon! We're all gonna be best friends forever!"_

Sasuke kissed her forehead. "I know how Hinata-san feels-to have someone hold their hand out to you, a new person in a new and strange town...It's a great thing. And I'm glad it was you."

Sakura smiled. "I want to thank you, too."

Sasuke looked confused. "For what?"

Sakura laughed quietly. "For taking my hand that day, silly."

He twirled her and then dipped her, surprising her. He chuckled as he pulled her back up into his arms. They kissed as the song ended, everyone cheering and clapping.

The next song was an upbeat song, and all their friends got on the dance floor to dance.

As the dance went on, couples danced together, friends laughed and sang, and the dancers did their best to do one of their choreographed dances in their dresses.

The last song was the first song that had been played at their prom, per the request of the bridesmaids and Maid of Honor, making Sakura smile and laugh.

After the dance, Sasuke and Sakura got the mic from the DJ.

"Thank you all so much for coming. It means a lot to see you all here-to both of us." Sakura smiled.

"Oh, and Naruto? Don't forget I have so much dirt on you for MY Best Man speech." Sasuke said.

Everyone laughed, except Naruto who could only think, 'Shit.'

Itachi got a chair and put it in the middle of the dancefloor. "Go ahead, brother."

Sasuke smirked, leading Sakura to the chair.

She laughed, knowing why.

Sasuke got on his knees and rolled up her dress, stopping just above the garter. He chuckled. "Nice." He commented on the hot pink color of the garter.

Sakura blushed. "I didn't pick it."

Sasuke shrugged, kissing her leg just above the garter before grabbing the fabric with his teeth, pulling it down her leg, making her laugh and blush a little at the same time. Once the garter was off, he rolled her dress back down and flung it into the group of boys.

Everyone looked at the guy who had caught it.

Shikamaru glanced at Temari, who was talking with TenTen, shrugged, and put the garter in his pocket.

"Ok, girls!" Sakura called the girls over to catch the bouquet. She turned her back to them. "One. Two. Three!" She threw the bouquet.

It flew…straight into the hands of Temari. She looked at Shikamaru, who pulled the garter out of his pocket and smirked at her. She smirked back.

'Someday.' They thought at the same time.

Everyone followed Sakura and Sasuke out to Sasuke's car where they already had their bags packed for their honeymoon. They waved to all their friends as they got in the car. Sasuke then pulled away from the curb and drove them to the hotel where their prom had been held at. Once they were checked in, they went to their room, closing and locking the door behind them after putting the "Do Not Disturb" on the door handle.

Sasuke went to kiss Sakura, but she pressed her finger to his lips and winked. "Ah, ah. Not yet. Let me change out of my dress."

Sasuke stood there, looking dumbfounded as his wife walked into the bathroom with something in her hand. He stayed there until the bathroom door opened to reveal a very sexy-looking Sakura in lingerie-a present from her friends at her bachelorette party.

She wore a black and hot pink corset top with black short-shorts and thigh-high black stockings, wearing her silver shoes she had worn at the wedding. She walked up to him, smiling. "What is it, Sasuke?"

Sasuke looked at her hungrily, practically pouncing on her on the bed. "Damn, I love you, Sakura."

Sakura giggled. "I love you, too, Sasuke. Hurry up and kiss me already."

She didn't have to tell him twice.

* * *

Tell me if you want me to write an 'M rated' chapter to follow this chapter. (It would be posted separately, of course. I'm considering writing it, but I'll only post it if people want me to. Review please!


	37. The Start of a New Adventure!

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. Nor do I own the idea for the title, which is the name of an amazing song from 'Wicked: The Musical.'

Ok, the only reason for Naruto and Hinata getting married so quickly is because they wanted to get married on the anniversary of the day they first met. Also, some of this will sound a little repetitive because I used the same basic wedding style that I used for the SasuSaku wedding. Also, I will be writing a SasuSaku lemon titled "Chapter 36.5-Tease", so if you're interested, I should have that up tomorrow. BUT! Now it's time for NaruHina fluffy-fluffiness! Enjoy!

Chapter 37

The Start of a New Adventure!

Hinata looked at her reflection in the mirror in the bathroom at the Uzumaki house. Kushina smiled at Hinata. "You ready?"

Hinata took a deep breath and nodded.

Kushina, Sakura, Ino, Temari, and TenTen all began working on her makeup and hair.

She wore basic makeup-eyeliner, mascara, etc.-with lavender eye-shadow to match her eyes and light pink lipstick. Next, they put her hair up in a bun with some hair framing the side of her face-the same hairstyle she had had at prom.

Satisfied with their work, they turned Hinata around so she could see what they had done.

She looked shocked. She looked… 'Beautiful.' Hinata thought to herself. She had felt pretty at prom, but now she felt really pretty. And there were still some things to add to her appearance.

"Ok, the boys have left to go to the church!" Ino said after checking that the boys' cars were gone.

The girls ushered Hinata into the living room where they had more room to get her into her dress. Hinata had gone dress shopping with Kushina and Sakura about a month ago, and, although they looked at tons of dresses, the first one she tried on was the one she wanted. Hinata stepped into her wedding dress, pulling it up so that TenTen could pull up the zipper.

Hinata smiled down at her white dress. It was strapless and simple, with no lace or frills or sparkles. The dress was poofy, but not overly poofy. The hem of the dress touched the floor, but she was still able to walk in it without having to hold up the skirt of the dress. To her, it was perfect. She stepped into her white one-inch-high-heels.

"Ok, almost done." Kushina said, carrying a box into the living room. They all sat on the couch while Hinata was asked to stand in front of them.

Temari and TenTen looked at each other, nodded, and then looked back at Hinata. "Something borrowed." They said in unison, each holding out their own hair pin-both silver, one with a purple gem and another with a red gem.

"My mother gave me this the day I graduated middle school." Temari smiled.

"And my mother gave me this the day I started High School." TenTen smiled.

Hinata smiled. "Thank you." Temari and TenTen put the pins on the sides of her bun in her hair. They then sat back down and looked at Ino.

Ino showed her a white pearl necklace and smiled. "Something new. We all pitched in to buy this for you." Hinata thanked her as Ino put the necklace on her. Ino sat back down and they all looked at Kushina.

Kushina smiled softly at Hinata. "Hinata-chan…We told you not to buy a veil and that we'd take care of it. Thank you for trusting us." She opened the box she had been holding…to reveal white see-through material. She carefully pulled the material, attached to a head band with fake white flowers on it, out of the box. She stood and walked to Hinata, putting the veil on Hinata's head. "Something old." She smiled at Hinata once the veil was in place. "This was my veil from when I married Minato. It's yours, Hinata-chan. And if you don't have a daughter in the future, maybe you'll give it to your daughter-in-law."

Hinata felt tears in her eyes, overwhelmed by the amazing gift she had just received. "Kushina-san…"

Kushina shook her head. "No-from now on, you call me 'mom,' ok?"

Hinata smiled and nodded. "Thank you…mom." The two hugged each other.

"Not tears, you'll ruin your makeup." Kushina smiled.

Hinata nodded, carefully wiping a tear away from her eye.

Kushina sat down and they all looked at Sakura. TenTen was fighting back laughter, Temari was smirking, Kushina smiled a knowing smile, and Ino was giggling.

Hinata looked confused. "What's so funny?"

Sakura pulled something blue out from behind her back. "And finally, something blue."

Hinata looked at it and blinked, realizing what it was. "A…garter?"

Sakura nodded. "Put it on." She said, handing it to Hinata.

Hinata had been told that she would have to wear a garter, but nobody had said anything until now so she thought they had just forgotten about it. She took the blue garter from Sakura and turned around, pulling it up her left leg. Once the garter was in place, she fixed her dress and faced her friends and soon-to-be mother-in-law. "Thank you…all of you…so very, very much."

They all stood and joined in a group hug.

The bridesmaids-TenTen, Ino, and Temari-all wore light blue dresses that were floor-length, flowy, and had spaghetti straps.

The Maid of Honor-Sakura-wore a dress similar to theirs, but hers was a light-purple color.

Kushina wore a light yellow floor-length dress with tank-top style sleeves.

The six of them piled into the van, with Hinata carefully getting in the front seat, since the boys had all taken cars, leaving the van for the girls so that they only had to take one car to the church.

Once they arrived at the church, they waited outside for the music to start playing.

With the boys…

Naruto looked in the restroom mirror at the church, looking at his reflection. He wore a black tux with a red rose on it. The groomsmen and Best Man also wore black tuxes with a white rose on their tux. He sighed, looking at his face.

"Son?" Minato entered the restroom, looking for his son. "There you are. The girls just got here, it's time to go inside."

"Dad…" Naruto sighed, looking at the floor. "What if…what if I can't make her happy? What if…what if I can't…protect her?"

Minato smiled, putting a reassuring hand on his son's shoulder. "You already do all of those things, Naruto. Don't worry-your mother and I will always be there to help you. Both of you."

Naruto smiled and nodded. "Thanks, dad." The two then walked out of the restroom and into the church, Minato sitting next to Kushina (after she had hugged Hinata and wished her luck) and Naruto standing next to his best man and best friend.

"You ready, Naruto?"

Naruto nodded. "Never been more ready, Sasuke. Oh, hey, we're starting." He stood at the alter with the pastor.

Sasuke walked up the aisle to stand next to Sakura. She smiled at him.

Sasuke kissed her cheek as the music started.

All the bridesmaids and the Maid of Honor had white rose bouquets.

First the bridesmaids and groomsmen walked down the aisle.

Ino with Chouji, Temari with Shikamaru, and TenTen with Neji.

Next, Sasuke walked down the aisle with Sakura.

And then, it was time. The wedding march began to play.

Everyone turned to look as Hinata, holding onto her father's arm, began her walk down the aisle. She looked at Naruto, blushing as he smiled at her. She smiled shyly back, looking ahead of her until they reached the alter.

'Kami…she's so beautiful.' Naruto thought to himself as her father lifted her veil, kissed her cheek, and then lowered the veil again. He turned to Naruto. "Please take good care of my daughter."

Naruto nodded. "I will, sir."

Hinata's father then walked to sit with the rest of the Hyuga family attending the wedding, including Hinata's sister, as Hinata handed her bouquet of white roses to Sakura.

The pastor began to speak.

No one objected to their marriage.

It was finally time to exchange vows.

"The groom will now give his vows."

Naruto looked straight into Hinata's eyes. "Hyuga Hinata. When I saw you, something inside me told me I had to protect you. From that day on, I wanted to know more about you. I wanted to learn everything I possibly could. From our first date, to our first kiss, I knew that I would never want to let you go. I've always been the class-clown, never really taken seriously. But after I met you, I wanted to change that. I wanted to become the man that you would want to marry one day. And here we are now. Every time I watch you dance, I'm mesmerized. You're so talented, and I know you have a bright future ahead of you. And, I'm glad…that you've chosen to include me in that future. There's not much else to say except…I love you-Hina-chan."

Hinata blinked the tears away that threatened to fall down her face, smiling as Naruto smiled back at her.

"And now the bride will give her vows."

Hinata took a deep breath and exhaled. "Uzumaki Naruto. Before I met you…life was very lonely. I was shy, timid, and was picked on a lot. I moved around so much that I never really got to make any real friends. But…then I met you, and your friends, who quickly became my friends, as well. This whole time, you've been supporting me, cheering me on…When I realized that I was in love with you, I-I was a little scared. I'd never been in love before, and didn't know if or when I should tell you. So when I found out you loved me, too, I was very happy. I've grown so much, and it's all thanks to you and our friends. Thank you, Naruto, for everything. I love you."

Naruto smiled softly at her and she smiled back.

They said their "I do's" and put their wedding rings on each other.

"I now present Mr. and Mrs. Uzumaki." The pastor announced. "You may kiss your bride."

Naruto smiled at Hinata and she smiled back. The second after the pastor said 'bride,' Naruto lifted Hinata's veil, wrapped his arm around her waist, and pulled her close to him, kissing her passionately.

Hinata blushed, but closed her eyes, wrapping her arms around his neck, kissing him back with just as much passion.

Their friends and family cheered and clapped. Kiba and Kankuro whistled loudly.

The newly wed couple pulled apart and smiled at each other, pressing their foreheads together. They held hands and smiled at their family and friends. Sakura gave Hinata her bouquet back. Hinata and Naruto then walked back down the aisle and out of the church, followed by their family and friends. They got into a black limo and rolled down the window, waving at their friends. "See you at the reception!" The limo pulled away from the curb and drove to the same hotel their prom had been at for the reception.

As the limo drove to the hotel, Naruto hugged his wife, nuzzling her neck with his nose.

Hinata giggled. "Naruto!" She hugged him.

Naruto kissed her collarbone. "Kami, I love you so much, Hinata."

Hinata blushed a little and smiled softly. "I love you, too, Naruto. So, so much."

Once they got to the hotel, they walked to the ballroom where the reception would take place. They sat at a long table with their closest family and friends, with Sasuke on one side of Naruto and Sakura on one side of Hinata.

They ate dinner first before speeches.

When it was time for speeches, Kushina tapped her glass with her spoon to get everyone's attention. She and Minato stood. "I guess we'll go first." They looked at the newly weds.

"Naruto, when you were younger, you made your mother and I a promise, remember?"

Naruto laughed quietly, knowing what his father was talking about, and nodded.

"You promised that when you met someone like mommy, you would protect her no matter what, right?"

Naruto nodded again, smiling, holding Hinata's hand under the table.

"You've kept that promise so far, and we know you'll continue to keep that promise in the future." Minato smiled.

Kushina smiled, holding onto her husband's arm, leaving against his shoulder. "We're very proud of you-both of you." She smiled at Hinata, who smiled back at her.

"To Naruto and Hinata!" Minato held up his glass.

The others held up their glasses, cheering.

Next was Hinata's father's turn. He stood, holding his glass. "Hinata. You're a bright child, and I only wish for your happiness. Naruto-please take care of my daughter. You're a very lucky man." He held up his glass. "To Hinata and Naruto."

Glasses were raised and more cheering was heard.

Next was the Best Man.

Sasuke cleared his throat as he stood up. "Naruto, you made a mistake choosing me as your Best Man…because Inuzuka and I swapped stories about you before the wedding."

Naruto sunk down a little in his chair. 'Shit.'

"When Naruto was five, he said girls were 'icky.' When he was ten, he said he was waiting for the perfect girl. When he was sixteen, he said he found her. Hinata-san."

Hinata looked at Sasuke.

Sasuke smirked. "Naruto keeps that picture of you two on his bedside table so that he can see you face before he goes to bed and when he wakes up. Oh, and his favorite animal is really a frog because its Jiraiya-sensei's favorite animal." He held his glass in his hand. "But in all seriousness, I'm happy for you, Naruto. When we first met, we hated each other. But we grew to be friends, then best friends, and now, we're like brothers to each other. So, as your brother, this is me telling you-congratulations, and if you don't treat her right, you'll have to answer to Sakura and I."

Naruto's face was a little red from the picture and frog comments, but smiled when Sasuke called him his brother. He sat up in his seat as Sasuke raised his glass.

"To Naruto and Hinata."

The others cheered, holding their glasses up as well.

The last speech was given by Sakura. She stood, holding her glass in her hands. "Hinata-chan? You'll always be that girl with the best 'barrel roll' I've ever seen." (Barrel roll=a dance move-I'm not very good at them. Sorry, please continue reading.)

Hinata smiled.

Sakura smiled at two of her best friends in the whole wide world. "You both mean so much to me-to all of us. We all know you're going to be great in Suna University's dance program, Hinata-chan. And Naruto? You're going to be a great martial arts instructor someday. Just remember to keep supporting one another, and loving one another…just like we've all seen you do over the past two years." She held up her glass. "To Hinata and Naruto!"

"To Hinata and Naruto!" The others cheered, raising their glasses.

Sakura looked at the DJ, who gave her the thumbs up that the music was ready to start being played. "The bride and groom will now dance their first dance as husband and wife."

Hinata smiled as her husband led her to the dance floor. Naruto smiled at her, putting his hands on her hips as she wrapped her arms around his neck.

The song 'I Hope You Dance' began to play. (Wanted to use an actual song for this part-I claim no ownership.)

Hinata's eyes widened, not knowing Naruto had picked that song. "Naruto…"

Naruto smiled. "Surprise."

Hinata leaned her head against his chest as they began to dance.

They kept their eyes closed, focusing only on each other and the music.

When the song was over, they opened their eyes and smiled at each other, sharing a gentle, sweet kiss as their family and friends clapped.

The next song was upbeat, the final song that had been played at their high school's prom. Their friends, instantly recognizing the song, hurried to join their friends on the dance floor, all of them dancing and singing along to the song.

The dance lasted for quite a while. Hinata danced with her dad, and then danced with Minato while Naruto danced with his mom.

The last song was a slow song that all the couples danced to.

But there were still two more important things left to do.

Hinata blushed as they pulled a chair to the center of the dance floor, knowing what was going on, having already had it explained to her a couple weeks ago. (This is from what someone told me about their wedding.) She sat on the chair as all of their male friends gathered around, but gave the couple their space. Now, Hinata had been told that Naruto would take off her garter, but had no idea HOW he was going to do it.

Naruto rolled up her dress so that just the garter and down were showing.

And he leaned forward, biting the garter, starting to pull it down her leg.

Hinata's face was bright red.

"He did it. Pay up." Kiba told Sai, holding his hand out to collect his ten dollars.

Naruto smirked up at his wife, knowing about the bet but not caring. 'She's so cute when she blushes.' He finished taking the garter off with his teeth and threw it into the group of boys.

Once it landed in someone's hands, the room went quiet. The group parted to show who had caught the garter. Somebody that had simply held his hand out so that he was a part of the group.

Hyuga Neji.

The young genius blinked, and then his eyes widened. "Seriously?"

Everyone laughed, but not to make fun of him.

Lee put his hand on Neji's shoulder. "Congrats, Neji!"

Neji shoved the garter in his pocket, fighting back a blush of his own.

Naruto rolled Hinata's dress back down. He stood and held his hand out to her, smiling. "You ok?"

She nodded, still blushing a little. "Y-Yeah."

"It's your turn, Hinata-chan." Sakura walked up to them, holding Hinata's bouquet.

Hinata smiled. "Thank you." She took the flowers from Sakura and waited for all of their female friends to gather around her, but still left room so that she had her space.

Hinata turned around so that her back was facing them. "One…two…three!" She tossed the bouquet in the air. It flew through the air…

…straight into TenTen's hands. She immediately looked at Neji, blushing. Neji saw and couldn't hide the tiny blush on his cheeks.

The girls and guys all cheered for Neji and TenTen, laughing (but not to make fun of them) and cheering.

Hinata leaned against Naruto's shoulder as he wrapped his arm around her waist.

Naruto looked at a wall clock and whispered, 'It's getting late' in Hinata's ear.

Hinata nodded. "Yeah."

They walked to the DJ, who gave them a microphone.

"Thank you all so much for coming to our wedding." Hinata said and then handed the microphone to Naruto.

"Yeah, thank you all for coming, and have a safe drive home." Naruto said.

"Goodnight, everyone!" Hinata and Naruto said at the same time before handing the microphone back to the DJ.

The two left the room as their family and friends cheered and clapped for them.

Since their reception was at the hotel they were staying at for their honeymoon, plus they had checked in earlier, they got in the elevator and went to the floor their room was on. They went to their room, but before Hinata could walk into the room, Naruto scooped her up in his arms, holding her bridal-style. She giggled as he smiled, carrying her into the room, kicking the door shut behind him, and then carefully laying her down on the hotel bed.

Naruto kissed her forehead. "…are you ready, Hinata?"

Knowing what he meant, she nodded. "Yes, I'm ready. As…As long as it's with you, Naruto, I know I'll be alright."

Naruto kissed her. "You're beautiful." He reached behind her and began to unzip her dress.

Hinata sighed as he kissed her collarbone. She kicked off her heels as her dress slowly came off. Once it was off, she covered herself, feeling self-conscious.

Naruto gently moved her hands away after taking off his tux, now only in his boxers. "Hey…what's with the shyness?" he kissed her cheek. "Like I said, you're beautiful." He carefully took the two pins out of her hair and put them on the bedside table before taking her hair out of the bun that it had been put in. As her hair tumbled down over her shoulders, Naruto kissed her cheek again. "I promise I'll be gentle."

Hinata nodded. "I trust you, Naruto." She boldly leaned forward and kissed his chest, over his heart. "I love you…my husband."

Naruto smiled. "And I love you…" he slowly lowered her back onto the bed. "…my beautiful wife.

Hinata snuggled closer to Naruto, still trying to catch her breath. Naruto hadn't lied-he'd been as gentle as he possibly could, and soothed her and kissed her when she needed to be soothed and kissed.

Naruto kissed her nose. "How are you feeling?"

Hinata smiled sleepily. "That was…wow."

Naruto chuckled. "You read my mind."

They held each other close, remembering their wedding day from beginning to that current moment, where all that seemed to exist on the planet was the person laying beside them.

And so, a new adventure begins!

* * *

Whoa…this story is 10 pages long…my longest chapter yet! My mom is probably annoyed from how many questions I asked her about weddings while writing this. Haha. Not much else to say except…REVIEW PLEASE!


	38. Honeymoon

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. Nor do I own the idea for the title, which is the name of an amazing song from 'Wicked: The Musical.'

I originally wasn't going to write this chapter, but decided that I wanted to write even MORE NaruHina fluffiness! And so, I changed my mind and came up with this! Enjoy!

Chapter 38

Honeymoon

The next morning, Hinata woke up, still sleepy, with her head on her husband's bare chest. She smiled, closing her eyes and snuggling closer to him.

An arm wrapped around her waist. "Good morning, Hina-chan." Naruto murmured in her ear.

Hinata looked up at him and smiled. "Good morning, Naruto."

Naruto put his hands behind his head. "Well, what do you want to do today? This hotel is only about a ten minute drive away from the beach, and my parents should have dropped off my car in the parking lot by now."

Hinata nodded. "That sounds nice."

The two got out of bed and got ready to go to the beach. Naruto put on his swim trunks and Hinata put on her bikini-the same clothes that they had worn to the beach with their friends last summer. Hinata put a T-shirt on to cover her torso until they got to the beach.

Once they were ready to go, they went downstairs to get Naruto's car keys that Minato had left at the concierge desk for them and walked outside to the parking lot. They got into Naruto's car and drove to the beach. Once they parked, they got out of the car and grabbed the blanket and towels that Naruto's parents had put in the trunk for them and walked across the still cool sand to pick a spot. They laid the blanket out, dropping the bag with sunscreen, sunglasses, and towels on top of the blanket.

Hinata took off her sandals, sitting at the edge of the blanket and digging her feet into the sand, smiling at the sand between her toes.

Naruto smiled at her, sitting behind her, hugging her, pulling her back against his chest.

She smiled, looking up at him.

Naruto kissed her forehead. "It's a nice day."

Hinata nodded in agreement. "Yes, it is." She sat up so she was facing him. She lightly touched his cheek. "You're so handsome, Naruto."

Naruto grinned. "Heh…thanks." He smiled softly. "And you're so beautiful." He leaned forward so that his lips brushed against her ear. "And sexy, too." He chuckled when he saw her red face. He hugged her. "You're so cute when you blush!"

Hinata hid her eyes with her bangs. "…you are, too…sexy…"

Naruto was shocked. She'd never called him that before. He smiled. "Thanks." He kissed the top of her head. "C'mon, let's go swimming!" he stood, holding her hands and pulling up to stand next to him.

She smiled. "Yes!" She looked around, glad the beach wasn't crowded that day as she took off her T-shirt.

Naruto fought back a nosebleed as she slowly took off her shirt. He hadn't gotten to see her in her bikini at the hotel, and hadn't seen her in it since last summer, so it still kind of took him by surprise.

Hinata, blushing a little, smiled at him. "Ok. I'm ready."

Naruto snapped out of his thoughts and smiled at her, holding her hand. "Ok!" The two of them walked to the shore, cold water rushing over their feet.

Hinata squeaked due to the coldness of the water, giggling, remembering last summer when she and the other girls played in the water.

Naruto smiled at her. He slowly walked into the ocean with her, holding on tightly to her hand. They waded into the water until the water was up to their waists. They held their breath and ducked under a wave, never letting go of the other's hand. They resurfaced and laughed, smiling. "Hey, Hina-chan?"

"Yes?" he replied.

Naruto grinned. "I'm so glad you're my wife."

Hinata smiled back. "And I'm so very happy, and lucky, to have you as my husband."

They ducked under another wave, resurfacing and laughing again before swimming back to shore before another wave came. Once they were up to their knees in salt water, Hinata giggled as she lightly splashed Naruto with water.

Naruto laughed, splashing her back. They continued their little game as they ran out of the ocean, until they reached the shore where Naruto picked her up from behind and spun around in a circle, the two of them laughing. Naruto put her down and stood in front of her, bending down a little and holding his arms back.

Understanding, Hinata shyly climbed onto his back as he gave her a piggy-back ride back to where their things were at.

Naruto carefully bent down so Hinata could get off his back and then grabbed their two towels, handing one to her. She thanked him and they dried off before sitting back down on the blanket. Naruto got the sunscreen out of their bag. "We should probably put on sunscreen-remember last summer?"

Hinata giggled. "Yes. We all went to the zoo and we didn't wear sunscreen-we were hurting for days."

Naruto laughed. "Yeah, not fun." He put some sunscreen in his hand. "Turn around."

She did as she was told, holding her hair up and out of the way as he applied sunscreen to her back. She closed her eyes and sighed. She blushed, remembering last night, his hands all over her…

"There. Here you go. Eh? Hina-chan? You ok?" Naruto asked, worried when she didn't turn around right away.

Hinata turned around, trying to fight back her blush as she took the sunscreen bottle from him. "Huh? Oh, it-it's nothing." She stood and began putting sunscreen on her legs. After that, she applied sunscreen to her arms, stomach, and above her chest. After putting sunscreen on her face, she sat back down at looked at him. "Is there any sunscreen that I missed?"

Naruto nodded, gently rubbing some missed white sunscreen into her cheek. "There." He smiled.

Hinata smiled shyly back, handing the bottle back to him. "Thank you."

Naruto nodded before standing to apply sunscreen to his legs. He sat back down and applied sunscreen to his arms. As he applied sunscreen to his chest, Hinata did something that surprised both of them.

Hinata scooted closer to him, helping apply sunscreen to his chest. Her bangs hid her eyes as Naruto watched her, shocked. When did his shy little Hinata get so bold? He thought back to last night. She was shy at first, but then… 'Hunh. Maybe that gave her more confidence with physical contact?'

"There." Hinata pulled away from him, looking away from him, blushing.

Naruto smiled softly. 'She's trying to be more affectionate with me.' He realized. Lastly, he applied sunscreen to his face, purposely leaving his nose white. "Hey, Hina-chan? Did I miss a spot?"

Hinata looked at him and giggled. "Your nose, silly." She gently rubbed the sunscreen into his skin and began to pull back…but Naruto gently caught her wrist in his hand, pulling her to him, lifting her up so that she was sitting in his lap.

"N-Naruto?" Hinata asked, confused.

Naruto brushed his lips against her ear. "You don't have to be so shy. If you want to do something, just do it."

Hinata blushed. "O-Ok."

Naruto smiled at her. "Let's stay here a while longer before heading back to the hotel, yeah?"

Hinata nodded. "Ok."

They laid side-by-side on the blanket on their stomachs, holding hands.

"Hina-chan?"

"Yes?"

"What else do you want to do? We have a couple more days until we have to go back home to start packing to move to Suna."

Hinata thought about it. "We've been so busy all summer getting ready for the wedding…we could just stay at the hotel and relax."

Naruto grinned. "Be lazy for a couple of days? I'm all for that."

Hinata giggled. "Ok."

They stayed at the beach for about another hour, just enjoying the sun, the sound of the ocean waves, and the occasional cool breeze, simply talking and laughing together.

They gathered their belongings and walked back across the now warm sand to Naruto's car.

Once back at the hotel and in their room, Hinata laid back on the hotel bed, sighing. She smiled, closing her eyes. Her eyes flew open when something pressed against her stomach.

Naruto was kissing her stomach, laying next to her. He looked up at her and smiled. "Now what do you want to do?"

Hinata blushed a little from his actions. "We could watch TV."

Naruto nodded and grabbed the remote, turning on the TV. He flipped through the channels until he stopped on some chick flick that he remembered watching before with Hinata. He put the remote on the bedside table and laid back against the pillows, his hands behind his head.

Hinata started to slowly lay down so her head would be on his lap.

Naruto smiled and pulled her into his arms, pulling her towards him so that she was practically laying on top of him.

Hinata giggled. "Naruto!"

Naruto grinned. "Yes?"

Hinata smiled. "I'm going to get out of my swimsuit and take a shower."

Naruto nodded. "Ok." He let her go so she could get off the bed.

Hinata looked through her suitcase for another set of clothes…and found something she hadn't packed. It was a gift from her friends-given to her at her bachelorette party. She blushed, quickly hiding it in a towel before Naruto could see it. She looked at the towel, got a determined look on her face, and walked into the bathroom.

About twenty minutes later, Naruto heard her call his name as soon as the bathroom door opened. "N-Naruto?"

"Yeah?" he asked, turning the volume down on the TV. "Everything ok?"

"Um…sort of…just…don't judge me, ok?"

Confused, Naruto replied, "Uh…o…k…?"

And then Hinata stepped out of the bathroom, her face bright red.

Naruto immediately got a nosebleed.

The present? Sexy lingerie.

* * *

Ok, so I'm thinking of writing another 'M' rated chapter and posting it separately to follow this chapter, and the next chapter I would just have it be afterwards. Tell me your thoughts, please. I used this idea for both couples because of how their reactions are different about it. Review please!


	39. The Honeymoon Is Over

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. Nor do I own the idea for the title, which is the name of an amazing song from 'Wicked: The Musical.'

To address any mistakes I've made, I'm trying my best. Please forgive me for mistakes I've made in this story. I am announcing now that there WILL be a sequel and it will mainly focus on NaruHina, with only little mentions of SasuSaku, just because Sakura's pregnant and don't want to just leave that alone. So to those supporting me, thank you very, very much.

Time for the next chapter, filled with lots of fluffity-fluffness! Enjoy!

Chapter 39

The Honeymoon Is Over

A couple more days of going to the beach and watching movies later, it was time to head home and start packing to move to Suna. They had already picked a place over summer and both had part-time jobs they would be starting as soon as they started school. Since their wedding took place at the beginning of September, they had started doing their classes online for that semester so that they wouldn't be a semester behind their friends.

As soon as they pulled up to the Uzumaki household, Kushina ran out the door to greet them, Minato smiling as he walked at a normal pace behind her.

After greeting their parents and in-laws, they dropped their luggage by the front door. They ate a quick lunch together before Hinata and Naruto walked to Hinata's room to start packing things into boxes that Minato and Kushina had got for them the day before.

Naruto kissed Hinata's cheek, smiling. "So, my lovely wife, are you excited?"

Hinata smiled sadly. "Yes…but it'll be strange being away from the others and your parents. Don't get me wrong, Sakura and Sasuke-kun are good friends of ours, I just…miss being with our group."

Naruto smiled a little, holding his arms open for her. "C'mere."

Hinata hurried into his arms, hugging him tightly.

"Come, on, let's finish packing."

Within the next week, they were packed and moved into their apartment in Suna, just a few blocks away from Sasuke's and Sakura's apartment.

"Ok, this is it, then, isn't it?" Kushina said as she and Minato stood outside the newly wed couple's door.

"Mom…dad…" Naruto smiled. "You can call and visit whenever you want to. It's not like we're moving half-way across the world or anything."

Kushina sniffled, trying not to cry. "Y-Yeah, of course."

Minato wrapped an arm around Kushina's waist. "Be kind to one another, take care of one another, and always listen to each other, ok?"

Naruto and Hinata nodded, holding hands. "We will."

As they watched their parent's and in-law's car drive away, Hinata squeezed Naruto's hand, knowing he was trying to look tough. They walked inside and closed and locked the door behind them. "Naruto…you can cry if you want to."

Naruto looked away from her. "No, I can't. I have to be strong."

"Even the strong have moments of weakness-it's what makes us human." Hinata said.

She heard him sniffle, and then he turned around and hugged her, hiding his face against her shoulder, crying quietly. Memories of his childhood flooded his mind as he cried on his wife's shoulder-his wife who had told him that he could cry in front of her.

Hinata wrapped her arms around him, tears in her own eyes. This was just another huge step in their lives, and they would get through it-together.

Minato and Kushina closed and locked the front door behind them. Kushina's eyes were red from crying most of the way home, and her lower lips began to tremble again.

Minato pulled his wife into his arms, giving her a hug. "Come on, it's late, let's get ready for bed."

Kushina sniffled and nodded. They went upstairs to their room, getting dressed for bed. Kushina sat on the edge of the bed, took a deep breath, and exhaled. She smiled a little. "I remember…when he first met Hinata…he came home from school and wouldn't stop talking about her. Then when he brought her home for the first time and they started going out…he looked so happy. I wanted him to always be happy. It's hard to think that there's another woman in his life now." She smiled at Minato. "But I'm glad it's Hinata."

Minato sat next to her, holding her hands in his hands, and kissed her. "Hey, now, where's my strong Kushina, huh?"

Kushina smiled at him as he brushed some hair away from her face.

"Ah, there she is." Minato smiled. "Come on, let's get some sleep."

At their apartment, Sasuke looked at the ceiling as his wife slept beside him, his hands behind his head. He was thinking-remembering all his times with his friends. Like their first day of Middle School, after the summer when he and Naruto had become friends…

"_Yo, Sasuke!" Naruto ran up to his friend, putting a hand on his shoulder. "How'd the rest of your summer go?"_

_Sasuke shrugged. "Just training and visiting family, you?"_

_Naruto grinned. "Training, training, and more training!"_

_Sasuke chuckled. "Don't hurt yourself."_

"_Hey, guys!" Kiba ran up to them, followed by Shino and Shikamaru._

_The guys all talked for a while until someone said, "Hey, lazy."_

_They turned around to see Sakura, Ino, and Temari._

_Shikamaru rolled his eyes. "What, is that your new nickname for me or something?"_

_Temari smirked. "Yep."_

_Sakura smiled at them. "Hi, Sasuke-kun. How was your summer?"_

_Sasuke shrugged. "Just visiting family and training. You?"_

"_Lots of dancing." Sakura said._

_There was an awkward silence between them until the bell rang. As the friends scattered to go to their different classes, Sasuke and Sakura bumped into each-literally._

"_S-Sorry!" Sakura blushed._

_Sasuke had held onto her arm to steady her when she stumbled back a little. "Be more careful." He let go of her arm and walked away._

_The rest of the day, the group of friends hung out at lunch and after school together before splitting up to go to the dance studio and the dojo._

Sasuke sighed. 'Was I really that oblivious to her feelings for me?' he looked at her smiling face while she slept. 'I can't believe I'm going to be the father of her children. It all seems so unreal yet real at the same time.' He leaned forward and kissed her cheek. 'But I really couldn't be happier.'

* * *

Sorry for the shortness, originally it was way shorter and almost didn't make it into the story, but I wanted to have that moment where Naruto and Hinata moved into their new place and a Minato and Kushina moment as well. Next chapter is longer! I promise! It is also the last chapter before the Epilogue! There WILL be a sequel! It will be their college years, so not very long, but at least a five chapter story to follow this story. Review please!


	40. Home

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. Nor do I own the idea for the title, which is the name of an amazing song from 'Wicked: The Musical.'

WOW. Sorry it's been so long…a LOT has been going on in my life lately and I kinda wasn't in the mood to write for a while. But, I'm back! So, here ya go!

The sequel will take place between this chapter and the Epilogue. I don't think it would have this many chapters, but it definitely would have more than five chapters. So, review telling me you're thoughts, please! Enjoy!

Chapter 40

Home

About a month had passed since Naruto's and Hinata's wedding, and the fall semester at Suna University was underway.

Sasuke yawned as he walked to his and Sakura's apartment around ten o'clock at night after a class. He got out his key and unlocked the door. When he opened the door, he heard a knife on a cutting board. He chuckled, closing and locking the door behind him. He dropped his bag and kicked off his shoes before walking to the kitchen, where his wife was cutting an apple into slices, humming softly to herself.

Hearing him come in, Sakura looked up and smiled at him. "Hey. How was class?"

Sasuke shrugged. "It was ok. How were your classes today?"

Sakura shrugged, as well. "Nothing exciting happened." She went back to cutting up an apple. She finished and put the slices on a plate. She held it out to him as he walked towards her. "Want some?"

Sasuke nodded. "Thanks." He took a slice and ate it, unbuttoning the top button of his shirt. "Suna wasn't this hot when we were here for the competition."

Sakura smiled. "I wonder how the others are doing…Ino sent me a letter saying she and Chouji are doing fine and have moved into an apartment together. I got a letter from Temari and she said the same thing about her and Shikamaru."

Sasuke nodded. "It's been a while since we've heard from Naruto and Hinata."

Sakura smiled-an 'I-already-know-something' smile. "Listen to the machine."

Sasuke looked confused, but pressed a button on their house phone machine and listened to the only message currently on the machine. Naruto's loud voice blasted out of the speaker.

"HEY BAKA! HEY SAKURA! HOW ARE YOU GUYS?! WE SHOULD HANG OUT SOON! …huh? Oh, ok. GOTTA GO NOW! TALK TO YOU SOON!" The message ended.

Sasuke blinked then chuckled. "Loud as always."

Sakura smiled, putting a hand on her stomach.

Sasuke turned around and wrapped his arms around her waist, kissing her forehead. "We're going to see your doctor tomorrow still, right?"

Sakura nodded.

Sasuke pulled away from her, getting on his knees and lifting her shirt half-way up, kissing her stomach. "I still can't believe you're actually carrying my child. I mean, I hoped it would happen someday, but I guess it's really hitting me."

Sakura smiled, running her fingers through his hair. "…I talked to my parents today. They called me."

"…yeah? What'd they say?" he grumbled.

Sakura smiled sadly. "They said their disappointed in me. I told them we were living here now and they said they would only visit to see their grandchild."

"I don't want them here." Sasuke growled.

Sakura sighed. "They're my parents, Sasuke."

"They kicked you out, Sakura!" he stood up, getting frustrated.

Sakura looked upset. "That doesn't mean that they don't love me!"

"I never said that!" Sasuke said.

"They just didn't want their daughter to get knocked up at such a young age!"

"Then we should have used a condom!"

"WE both decided to have sex anyway when you realized you were out of condoms!"

"You know what, I'm not doing this." Sasuke grabbed his jacket, walking out of the apartment, forgetting his keys, slamming the door behind him.

Sakura covered her face with her hands, sitting on the floor, crying. She angrily got up and locked the door, walking to the couch and laying down, trying to stop crying.

Five minutes later, after clearing his head, Sasuke tried to open the door only to find it locked. He checked his pockets only to find that he had forgotten his keys. He sighed. He leaned back against the door and slid down to the ground, resting his head back against the door.

And so he waited.

And waited.

And waited…

Until, finally, the door opened, causing him to fall backwards onto the floor, just barely catching himself before his head would have smacked against the hardwood floor. He looked up to see Sakura, in one of his T-shirts and a pair of shorts, looking down at him, her eyes red from crying. She frowned at him.

"You…you've been here the whole time?" She asked, surprised.

Sasuke sat up and nodded. "Well, yeah…I mean, it was a pretty stupid fight…"

Sakura smiled. He was trying to apologize. She sat on the floor and hugged him. "I'm sorry, too."

Sasuke hugged her. "When our child is born, we need to really work together-no fighting, and if we do, it can't be around our child."

Sakura nodded. "Agreed."

They went to bed and fell asleep in each others' arms, both having a hand on Sakura's stomach.

'This is home.'

That same night at Naruto's and Hinata's apartment, the two watched a movie together, with Naruto sitting and Hinata laying on the couch with her head on his lap.

Naruto ran his fingers through her long hair, smiling.

Hinata smiled as well, not really paying attention to the movie anymore.

"Hey, Hina-chan?"

"Hm?" She closed her eyes, enjoying the feeling of his fingertips brushing against her scalp.

"When do you want children?"

Hinata thought about it. "…after we graduate from college."

Naruto nodded. "Alright."

Hinata smiled, leaning against his chest. "I love you, Naruto."

Naruto hugged her, kissing the top of her head. "I love you, too, Hinata."

'This is home.'

Epilogue is next! Review please!


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